Dumbledore's Army, Still Recruiting
by Jane Willow
Summary: Neville could never have guessed what his 7th year at school would be like this. With Dumbledore's Army still recruiting, there's no telling how bad the war being waged at in school might get. But it doesn't matter to them. The DA lives!
1. The Hogwart's Express

**The Hogwarts Express**

_"This year is going to be very different, isn't it?"_

"Ginny! _Ginny_!"

Ginny spun around to see Neville running up to her. She had just loaded her things onto the scarlet Hogwarts Express, placing Arnold carefully on her shoulder.

He reached her, looking around, as if expecting someone else to show up. "They're not coming, are they?" he said after a moment.

She shook her head, staring at the ground as she kicked a crumpled bit of parchment that someone had dropped.

"I figured they wouldn't," Neville said, sadly. "I figured they wouldn't leave Hermione."

Ginny shook her head again, angrily. "This policy is ridiculous," she spat. "Hermione is the brightest person I've ever met, but they won't let her study magic? It's madness."

"I know," Neville said, sympathetically. "The school's going to seem so empty this year. And Ron and Harry? I expect they're not coming because of this policy? Protesting against it or something?"

"It's more then that," Ginny whispered, leaning a bit closer to him.

Neville sighed. "I was worried it might be. Are they all right?"

Ginny looked nervously from side to side. Heavily cloaked witches and wizards watched the students and their families milling around the platform, checking off names as the students climbed onto the train. The Ministry had sent them to make sure the children who were supposed to be there were. And to keep out the ones that weren't.

"I'll explain on the train," she said, eyeing the Ministry wizards nervously and grabbing his wrist, pulling him after her.

"Wait, have you seen Luna?" Neville asked, following Ginny clumsily. "She'll want to know, too."

"I expect _everyone_ will want to know," she sighed, imagining all the questions everyone would have about the three of them – and who else was there to get answers from but her? She looked back at Neville. "But I'm only telling you. And Luna," she added. "But don't go spreading it around," she said, warningly.

Neville just nodded.

Walking quickly, Ginny kept her eyes open for any sign of Luna.

"Up there," Neville said, suddenly, pointing ahead of them. Luna stood in front a Ministry wizard near the train as the wizard waved something animatedly in front of her, shouting.

Neville and Ginny exchanged worried glanced before setting off at a run towards her.

"But you don't understand," Luna was saying, "it's only a magazine."

"Yes," said the wizard in a horrible, nasally voice, "and as I've said, it's _banned_. Now, get on to the train," he ordered.

Luna looked around exasperatedly, and then spotted Neville and Ginny. "Oh, it's you two. Please, tell him that there's nothing bad in the Quibbler." She turned back to the wizard. "My father's the editor, you see. So, I really do want to read it."

"Look right here!" the wizard cried. "It says right on the cover: _page 23, Potter Supporters Plan Secret Radio Show, details inside_. And there is to be nothing about Potter on this train, do you understand? He is a _criminal_."

"Oh no," Luna said, earnestly. "I know Harry Potter! He's really quite a nice boy. In fact, last year I went with him to –"

"I've had enough of this," the wizard muttered. He pulled his wand out from under his robes.

Neville grabbed Luna by the shoulders and pulled her closer to him, out of the path of the wizard. Ginny stepped forward, looking at Luna.

"Luna, don't you remember? Honestly, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times." She sighed, dramatically, flipping her red hair over her shoulder. "We're _done_ with Potter. He's a… a horrible liar and…a, uh, a rebel and he has… stupid glasses."

Luna stared wide-eyed at Ginny. "But I thought he was your boyfriend. Last year you told me you thought you were in –"

Ginny put her hands firmly on her hips. "As if I would ever _dream_ of dating someone like that. Let's just get on the train."

She turned to the Ministry wizard. He eyed her suspiciously for a moment, then said, "name."

"Ginerva Weasley," she announced, hands still on her hips.

He pulled a piece of parchment out from under his robes which floated in front of him, a long list of names written in green ink on it. Ginny could just make out her name glowing on the other side of it. The he took out a quill, ticked off the name and stepped aside to let her on the train.

"One moment," he said, stopping her. "You've got a brother, seventh year. Where's he?"

"Spattergroit," she explained, quickly. "It's awful. And in his N.E.W.T year, too…"

The wizard looked at her for another moment, and then shrugged, letting her on the train.

"Name."

"Neville Longbottom."

"Get on. Name."

"Luna Lovegood."

"On you get, then."

"Are you sure I can't just have my –"

"Come _on_, Luna," Neville hissed, pulling her on the train after him.

"Luna," Ginny said sternly, "you need to watch what you say from now on."

Luna sighed as the three of them searched for an empty compartment. "But maybe if we just explained – Harry _isn't_ a criminal. You know that. You _did_ date him. You lied back there."

"I know I did."

"But –"

"She saved you," Neville interrupted. "That guy had his wand out."

"Oh, but he wouldn't _hurt_ me."

Neville and Ginny glanced at each other.

"What?" asked Luna, catching the look. "They wouldn't. Would they?"

Ginny sighed. "I'd rather not take the risk and find out."

Luna stared down at her feet. "This year is going to be very different, isn't it?"

* * *

Seamus Finiginn sat slumped in the otherwise empty compartment, staring blankly out the window.

The door slid open, but he didn't look up.

"Seamus," said a voice. It took Seamus a minute to place it – Ernie MacMillan. "Good to see you," Ernie said. "Mind if we join you?" He motioned behind him to Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott.

Seamus shrugged. "Go ahead."

Ernie sat next to him, the girls across from them. "Had a good summer?" Ernie asked, conversationally.

Seamus rolled his eyes. "Small talk? Really, Ernie?"

"Just trying to make conversation," Ernie muttered, sounding angry.

Susan sighed. "I suppose this really isn't the time for small talk, is it? What with… everything…"

"What do you _want_ to talk about then?" Ernie asked, sounding meaner then he had intended.

"Let's just be quiet," Seamus suggested, crossing his arms over his chest and staring back out the window.

Ernie narrowed his eyes at Seamus. "You know –" he began, but then he caught sight of Hannah waving her arms to get his attention.

"_Dean_," she mouthed to him.

Ernie sighed, running his hands through his hair. "All right," he muttered. "Let's just… be quiet."

"Oh, look!" Susan said suddenly, pointing out the window of the compartment door. "Ginny's here – do you think Ron's with her?"

Seamus shook his head. "There's no way he is. Not without the other two."

He sounded bitter. Ernie wondered whether he too had tried to get out of coming back to Hogwarts to be with his friend.

Hannah stood up and slid the door open. "Neville," she smiled, "Ginny, Luna, come sit here. Is Ron with you?"

Ginny shook her head.

"Oh," Hannah sighed, sadly. "We figured. Come on, sit with us."

"We can't," Ginny said, quickly. "We've promised we'd find Terry and Michael. We'll come back later."

"We haven't," said Luna.

"We _have_, you've just _forgotten_," Ginny hissed, pushing her past the compartment.

Neville stood there for a moment. Finally he shrugged awkwardly. "Sorry," he murmured.

Hannah shrugged, too. "Well, maybe you can look in later."

"Yeah," Neville said, nodding. "Deffinatly. We'll look in later. Yeah."

"_Neville_! Come on!"

"Gotta go."

And with one last, lop-sided grin, he was gone.

* * *

"Draco? Draco, are you listening to anything I'm saying?"

"Huh?"

Pansy rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with you today?"

Draco rubbed his eyes. "I'm tired. That's all."

Pansy put her arm around his shoulder. "You can sleep on my shoulder, if you like," she smiled, eyeing him keenly.

"No, I just, uh… I need to stretch my legs."

Pansy jumped up. "Let's go then."

"I'd rather go on my own," he muttered, moving past her and out of the compartment.

Pansy watched him go, her eyes narrow and suspicious and somewhat hurt.

"Don't worry, Pans, you know that they say," Blaise sniggered, "absence makes the heart grow fonder. I'm sure he'll only be gone a few years."

Folding her arms, Pansy stuck her tongue out at him.

"Gets to you, doesn't it?"

Draco spun around. "Nott! You scared me."

"Not my fault you're jumpy."

"I'm not jumpy."

Theodore rolled his eyes. "_Sure_."

"And how would you know if I'm jumpy?" Draco spat.

"Like I said," Theodore went on, coolly, "it gets to you."

"What gets to you?"

"I hear you've got an old man locked up in your basement." He grinned at the look of surprise on Draco's face. "Remember, I know what it's like, Malfoy."

Draco pushed past him, walking up the corridor, Theodore following him, matching his hurried strides. "How do you know about that?" Draco demanded. "You know… _about the man_," he whispered.

"You forget our fathers run in the same circles. So, what do you make of these Ministry wizards?"

Draco shrugged. "What's there to make of them?"

"Well, if the Ministry was that involved at the station, just imagine what Hogwarts will be like."

"A fair bit better then it was, I expect."

Theodore shrugged. "Maybe. Did you hear they're changing Defense Against the Dark Arts to The Dark Arts? My father told me we'd be following the Drumstrang curriculum."

Draco just grunted, sounding neither pleased nor upset by this.

"I'm planning on dropping it. I've had enough of the Dark Arts to last me a lifetime."

Draco stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're not going to take it?"

"If I can avoid it. Rumour is it'll be manditory, though."

Before Draco could respond, a door near by slid open suddenly. Draco spun around quickly, his heart going far faster then he'd ever readily admit. Parvati Patil came out and spotted the two of them. With a glare at the two of them that would have stopped a giant in its tracks, she banged the door shut again.

Draco turned back to Theodore. He was smirking.

"What?" Draco demanded. "Why are you smiling?"

"I told you. _Jumpy_."

* * *

"I don't understand, why would Dumbledore give them a job no one could help them with?"

"I don't know, Neville," Ginny sighed. "But they wouldn't tell anyone anything."

"And you don't know where they are?" Luna asked.

"No idea."

"Hopefully they're far away," Neville said, thoughtfully. "The further Hermione is from here, the better. And as for Harry…"

Ginny shook her head. "No, they're close by. They're not hiding or running away… that's what's so scary about it. I'm sure they're right in the thick of it all."

A mischievous, almost nostalgic grin spread across Neville's face. "Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if they broke back into the Ministry and took the Minister for Magic hostage."

"Or started their own secret army of house elves," Luna smiled.

"Or won over all the giants. And Goblins. And werewolves."

"Or made a hijacked the next Quidditch match."

"Or snuck into Hogwarts."

"Oh!" Luna gasped, looking wide-eyed at Neville. "Do you think they're on the train right now?"

Neville shrugged. "Harry _does_ have that Cloak. And Hermione's so clever, she's probably been able to make loads of Polyjuice Potion or cast a Dislustionment Charm. They could be anywhere."

Ginny sighed, sadly, her brow furrowed. "I expect they _will _come back to Hogwarts, before the end. If for no other reason then for Harry to get revenge."

"Revenge?" Luna repeated.

"Snape," Ginny said, simply.

Neville lowered his head for a moment, then looked back up at the two girls. "We've got to keep Dumbledore's Army alive. It's got to come back this year."

"But they know about the Room of Requirement," Ginny pointed out.

"We can figure it out," Neville said, firmly.

"And who would run it?" Luna asked. "Harry isn't here."

"We could. The three of us could run it," he said, getting excited the more the he thought about the idea.

"Us?" Ginny asked. "But we…"

"Why not us?" Neville asked. "Maybe we're not as good at Harry at defensive magic, but we're not bad. And besides, he taught us loads, all we'd have to do is make sure everyone practices enough."

"We'd get in loads of trouble is anyone ever found out…" Ginny murmured, almost to herself.

"And since when has _that_ ever stopped us?"

Ginny grinned.

Luna nodded. "Yes, I think it's a god idea. We'll do it, for everyone who's at Hogwarts this year."

"And everyone who isn't," Ginny added, darkly.

* * *

They got off the train, just like they had done so many times before, bit this time everything was different. No one was laughing, no one was running. When Hagrid called over the first years, he wasn't smiling warmly at them, but scowling at the Ministry wizards pushing them all into line.

Draco looked up and saw Longbottom, the Weasley girl, and that odd girl Pansy always made fun of hurrying into a carriage. They were talking quietly about something that seemed very important.

But he didn't really take notice of them. He was looking, horrified, at something else.

"Draco? You coming?"

It was Crabbe, or Blaise, or Pansy, or Goyle – someone, he wasn't sure, didn't care, who.

"What's wrong with you?"

Then Nott passed him, looked from the carriage and back to Draco.

"I can see them," Draco muttered hoarsely to him.

The thestral flicked its head back, black and skeletal and horrible, and began to pull the carriage up the pathway.


	2. The Great Hall

**The Great Hall**

_"I wouldn't be surprised if there was an uprising right now."_

The Great Hall filled up quickly as the students all took their seats at their House tables. The Sorting was quick. It seemed that without Muggle-borns there weren't all that many new children.

Professor McGonagall's face was as stern and rigid as ever, but there were more there, too. She looked worried, angry and, most of all, exhausted.

She sat back down next to Professor Sprout after the Sorting Hat was put away. Professor Sprout looked nervously from the students to Snape, sitting at the middle of the staff table.

The students in front of them muttered mutinously amongst themselves, eyeing him angrily.

"This isn't going to go well at all," she murmured to Professor McGonagall. "There's going to an uproar over this."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was an uprising right now."

"Oh, but they don't _know _yet. They don't know how horrible these people are!"

"We've got to try and keep them calm," Professor McGonagall whispered reasonably. "I don't want anyone punished, especially on the first night. Keep an eye on the last Weasley. She's got quite the mouth on her, when she gets worked up."

"How could she not?" Professor Sprout whispered back. "Just think of her family – didn't she _live_ at the Headquarters for the Order for a while?"

Professor McGonagall nodded solemnly.

"And then there's Longbottom…" Professor Sprout went on.

"Neville?" McGonagall asked, surprised. "Surely he won't be –"

"He was at the Ministry, too, remember. He may seem quiet, but – "

The two suddenly stopped whispering when they heard the murmuring from the students grow louder.

Snape had stood up and moved in front of the table, his black cloak billowing bat-like behind him. He stood behind the podium for a moment, surveying the students in front of him.

"There are some staffing changes to announce." His voice was curt and cold and unwelcoming; the first years fidgeted nervously in their seats as he glared down at them. "The Muggle Studies professor, Professor Burbage, will be replaced by Alecto Carrow ."

There was no applause.

"This year will also bring some changes to the classes you all will be taking. Every student is required to study the Dark Arts, as taught by Amacus Carrow. Muggle Studies is also compulsory."

Angry murmurs and whispering broke out again. It seemed everyone was too nervous to do anything more then that, as Snape stared down over them.

"Quickly finish your dinners and then follow your prefects to your houses. The usual list of rules has been posted in your common rooms. I suggest you read it thoroughly."

As Snape turned back to the table, a small, high voice from somewhere amoung the students called out, "but you haven't told us who the Headmaster is."

For the slightest moment Snape stood there with his back turned on the students before he turned to face them again. "I would have thought that obvious. _I_ am Headmaster."

A smattering of applause came from the Slytherin table.

Professor McGonagall clenched her fists, preparing for the worst.

Soon, everyone was talking rapidly, as what they had all suspected since seeing Snape in Dumbledore's seat had been confirmed.

A few started to shout out.

"_Snape_?"

"No, how could they let this _happen_?"

"We all know what you did!"

"Dumbledore's Army!"

"It can't be you!"

"You're a murderer! A coward!"

"_Silence_," Snape snarled above them all. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the crowd. "I will not tolerate this kind of –"

"But we know what you did! You murdered Albus Dumbledore! You're a murderer!"

Everyone in the Great Hall turned to see Terry Boot standing up at the Ravenclaw table. Padma Patil, who had been sitting next to him, was pulling on his sleeve, trying to get him to sit back down, but he ignored her.

A few students cheered him on.

"You have very clearly been misinformed," Snape managed in a quiet, but horribly threatening voice. "There will be no more of these lies this year, is that understood?"

"No! No, you're a _monster_ – there's not way any of us will – "

"Sit down, Boot!" tiny Professor Flitwick called from the staff table, his hands trembling as he motioned for him to take his seat..

But others had started joining in. Soon, the entire Hall was full of yells and shouts and a few braver students had even pulled out their wands.

Snape, however, seemed unfazed.

He motioned to the Carrows, who stood up together, pointed out Boot and took his seat again. The Carrows marched over to the Ravenclaw table and seized Terry.

"What are you _doing_?" Anthony Goldstien, who was sitting near by, cried. "Let go of him!"

But Amycus simply held out his wand, pointing it at Anthony. Together, they pulled Terry out of the heavy double doors and disappeared.

"There will be no tolerance for insubordination this year," Snape said darkly from his seat. "Professors Carrow and Carrow will see to any punishment that may be necessary. Now, _eat_."

* * *

Neville didn't touch any of his dinner that night. Hardly anyone did. "Boot's been gone and long time," he sighed, looking over at the doors. "What do you think they're doing to him?"

"Oh, just setting him lines, I expect."

"Shut up, Seamus," Ginny spat.

Seamus just sighed and went back to pushing his food around on his plate.

"Do you still want to do this?" Ginny whispered to Neville. "This is worse then we thought."

"We have to do it!" Neville said, his eyes worried, but somehow excited, almost hopeful. "Now more then ever! We can't let _him_ run the school – not without doing something about it."

Ginny nodded. "We'll hold a meeting in the common room tonight? I'll let everyone from Dumbledore's Army know."

"All right. And what about people from the other houses? It'll look suspicious is we all start talking to each other, right?"

"Yeah… do we still have those coins?"

"I doubt everyone does. And I don't know how to make new ones."

They were silent for a moment, and looking at each other they knew they where thinking the same thing. _I wish they were here_.

"How about this," Ginny said after a while, "We'll go up to one person from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw on our way to Gryffindor Tower and tell them to have meetings, too. We'll just brainstorm ideas. And we'll talk in class tomorrow and figure out where to go from there."

Neville nodded. "I suppose it's the best we've got. Can you tell Luna to talk to the Ravenclaws? I'll talk to Hannah."

Ginny smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"And Ernie," he added quickly. "Both of them. Together. At the same time."

Before Ginny could say anything, the great oak doors were flung open. Amycus Carrow walked in, wand held firmly at his side. His sister was a step behind him, holding Terry by the collar of his cloak, pushing him in ahead of her.

"Oh my gosh," whispered Lavender Brown as Ginny sat up straighter to get a good look at him.

Terry's head lolled lifelessly, his chin bouncing again his chest. Blood trickled from his lip and his left eye was blue and swollen. Alecto pushed him again from her as she and her brother walked briskly back to the staff table. Terry stumbled drunkly for a few steps before Anthony Goldstien and Michael Corner grabbed him and sat him down at the Ravenclaw table.

Many of the students looked up to the staff table. Surely something would be done. Surely their professors wouldn't let _this_ happen.

But the teachers sat there, as stony faced as they could manage, watching Terry slump against Michael's shoulder.

Madam Pomfrey buried her face in her handkerchief as Professor Sprout patted her back sympathetically, trying her best to make it look as though Madam Promfrey was coughing, instead of sobbing.

Looking over at the rest of the Ravenclaws, Ginny and Neville caught Luna's eye. She looked, horrified, at Terry's bloodied face, then over at her friends.

"What's wrong with her?" Ginny whispered under the murmurs that had broken out.

"I think she's just realized, back at the train, remember? She's just realized that could have been her." Neville looked back at Ginny, his brow drawn together. "She was right. This year is going to be very different."


	3. Mircales

**Miracles**

_"Because we need help more then ever. And right now, I'm not going to be picky about wear I get it."_

Neville walked into the dormitory and saw Seamus sitting by the open window, fingering something around his neck, bringing something else to his lips every once in a while.

"Seamus?" he said quietly.

Seamus slowly turned to face Neville. His face was cold and blank and it scared Neville to him like that.

"What are you doing?" Neville asked, nodding his head at the stick between his fingers.

"Smoking." He turned and looked back out the window.

Neville stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say next. "Smoking?" he finally repeated.

Seamus took something out of his robs and tossed it to Neville. It was a box of cigarettes. Neville opened it gingerly and examined the few left inside.

"Fergus got them for me. I transfigured it into Bertie Bots to get it on the train," Seamus explained in the same dull, even voice. "They didn't want anything Muggle-made here this year."

He looked up at Neville, who was still holding the box like it might explode. "Muggles have them all the time," he continued. "You can have one, if you want," he added as an afterthought. Then he looked back out the window, blowing smoke into the night.

Neville looked from the box back to Seamus. "Nice necklace," he said, at length. It was a stupid thing to say, he knew, but he was desperate to fight off the silence that he was so unaccustomed to in the dormitory where they had spent so many late nights fighting to stifle their laughter.

_But of course it would be quieter_, he told himself, _everyone's gone_.

"It's not a necklace," Seamus said.

"Oh." Neville swallowed, and then said, "what is it?"

"It's a rosary."

"What's a rosary?"

Seamus gave a laugh, but it's hallow and empty. "Clearly you're from a pure blood family."

Neville didn't say anything for a moment. "I don't want to talk about our blood," he said, softly.

"Me, either."

"So what's a rosary?"

"It's for praying. To God."

"You pray to God?"

"I do now."

For a while there was more silence, as Seamus stared blankly into the night and Neville realized just how big and empty their dormitory was, still turning the carton of cigarettes over in his hands.

"I didn't know you had a religion," Neville said finally.

"I'm Irish," Seamus said, as if that explained everything.

"Oh."

Seamus flicked the butt of his cigarette out of the window.

"You shouldn't do that."

He shrugged. "Can you toss me another?"

Neville looked down at the box in his hands. "Seamus, did you know this can give you cancer? Look, it says so right here," he said, pointing out the warning on the front of the box. "Lung cancer. You shouldn't smoke them."

"Who cares about lung cancer?"

Neville was taken back. "_You_ ought to, for one."

Seamus gave that same, hollow laugh. "Only Muggles get cancer."

"That's not true!" Neville cried, taking a step forward. "My great uncle Alfred once got – "

"I don't care about you're great uncle," Seamus spat. "Just toss me another."

"You _can't_," Neville insisted. "You'll die!"

"You don't _die_ from smoking _one _cigarette, Neville."

"Half this box is gone. And I'm guessing this isn't the first Fergus has gotten for you." Neville crossed him arm defiantly. "You can't have them back."

Seamus looked as if he's going to shout and Neville instinctively took a step back. But Seamus just looked back out the window, still fingering his rosary. "We all die, Nev," he said, after a while. "Who cares if it's sooner rather than later?"

Neville walked over to his five poster and sat down. He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "This is the first time I've seen your rosary," he said, just to hear something other then silence and the wind coming through the window.

"This is the first time I've worn it."

"Why now?"

"Because we need help more then ever. And right now, I'm not going to be picky about wear I get it."

"What are you praying for?"

Seamus looked back at Neville, his face set as he fought back tears that Neville could just see gathering in the corners of his eyes. "A _miracle_," Seamus whispered.

Neville looked down at his hands. "Dean is going to be okay."

"Shut up," Seamus hissed, turning back to the window.

Neville stood back up, tucking the cigarettes into the pocket of his robes. He decided to change the subject. "Some of us were gunna meet in the common room tonight. To talk about what we're going to do this year."

Seamus didn't say anything. He just played with his rosary.

"We're not just going to _let_ this happen to us," Neville went on. "We're going to fight back. Dumbledore's Army –"

"Dumbledore is dead."

Neville winced like he's been slapped. He stared down at his feet. "But, we're still going to –"

"I'm staying here," Seamus said, sharply.

"Praying for your miracle?"

Seamus didn't answer.

"You know," Neville said, bolder this time, "I don't know much about cigarettes or rosaries or God, but I figure this much. If you ask God for help, He won't just _fix_ your problem. He won't just _give_ you a miracle. If you ask Him for help, he's gunna make you able to fix your own problem. He'll make you strong and brave and kind and clever so _you_ can make a miracle happen. Otherwise, what kind of people would he be making us into? Helpless people; people too scared to deal with things." He took a step toward Seamus, who was still looking determinedly out the window. "And _I'm_ not going to be helpless, Seamus. _I'm_ not going to be scared."

He waited for Seamus to say something – _anything_ – but he didn't.

Sighing, Neville turned to leave and headed toward the staircase.

"Nev, just wait."

He turned in time to see Seamus wiping his eyes on his sleeve and tucking his rosary into his robes. "I'm coming," he muttered.


	4. The Dark Arts Class

**The Dark Arts Class**

_It was all he could do to not imagine that same, terrified look on his parents' faces._

They had been up all night talking and planning, trying desperately to think of some way they might overthrow Snape and the new Hogwarts he was trying to create. It was around two in the morning when Ginny finally said, "we'll just have to fight back any way we can, won't we? Little ways, until we come up with something."

"Or until he comes back," Neville had said. "Until Harry comes back – and Ron, and Hermione – they won't let this happen. They'll come back."

Seamus had stared, disbelieving at him, but decided it was best not to say anything. He, of course, knew Harry wouldn't come back. He knew it like he knew he'd wake up tomorrow morning and go down to breakfast without Dean.

The next morning the students were given their timetables and trudged off their classes.

"Keep an eye out for Hannah… or Ernie, or Susan," Neville whispered to Seamus as they made their way to their first Dark Arts class. "I want to see if anyone from Hufflepuff came up with anything last night. Ginny's talking to Luna – she's got Herbology with the Ravenclaws this afternoon."

Seamus pulled his already-crumpled timetable out of the pocket of his robes. "Don't we have Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs after this Dark Arts nonsense?"

"Yeah. I just really want to know if they came up with anything… I want to start fighting back now – and where better then Dark Arts?"

"And with the Slytherins," Seamus muttered.

"Exactly."

* * *

As the class was now mandatory, it made sense it should be quite full; fuller then Defense Against the Dark Arts had been last year, after the Sixth Years had taken their O.. But with so many people missing from the school, everywhere they went seemed almost empty.

"C'mon," Seamus muttered as they walked in. "Let's sit in the back."

Neville followed him, glaring at Amycus Carrow until he reached his seat.

Parvati and Lavender came and sat down at the table in front of them. Parvati turned around and whispered, "So what do you two reckon this will be like?"

Before they could answer, Amycus's voice cut through the low murmurs filling the room. "Books away," he ordered.

A smirk tugged at Neville's lips; two years ago he would have given anything to sit in this classroom and hear 'books away'. His smile quickly faded as he realized that putting away their books most likely meant that they would actually be doing magic – _dark_ magic. But _surely_ they couldn't be expected to…?

Neville's thoughts were cut short when Amycus began to take attendance. Neville sat there, his fists clenched, trying desperately to think of something to say when his name was called – something that showed just how he felt about the Carrows teaching, about having to learn the Dark Arts, about Snape being Headmaster…

"Longbottom."

"Here," Neville sighed, lamely.

* * *

Amycus talked for nearly half an hour. It seemed he liked the sound of his own, horrible voice. He told them all about the history of the Dark Arts, leaving out any bits where a Dark wizard was beaten in a dual, or laws passed about certain spells.

In front of him, Neville could see Parvati shaking her head in front of his. He knew that if only he had paid more attention in History of Magic, he might realize just how many inaccuracies he was hearing, too.

Finally, Amycus finished his speech.

"Any questions?"

Parvati raised her hand timidly.

"What?" Amycus spat.

"Uh… wasn't – er – isn't it true…"

_Come on,_ Neville thought desperately_, like we all talked about last night._ _We have to be strong, we can't be intimidated._ But he knew that if he were in Parvati's place, his voice would be shaking just as much.

"Isn't it true," Parvati continued, "that Harpo the Foul's Basilisk _destroyed_ his Horcrux?"

"Of course not," snapped Amycus. "He was a great wizard, do you think he'd really let something like that happen?"

"Well, I don't know, but Professor Binns said –"

"He was mistaken." There was such a threatening note in his voice, that Parvati didn't push the subject. She seemed to sink deeper into her seat, as if she were trying to make herself smaller.

"Now," Amycus went on, "I think we have just enough time."

"Time for what?" asked Pansy Parkison from the front of the room.

"For the fun bit!" Amycus smiled horribly and rubbed his hands together. He stepped behind his desk and pulled a cage out from behind it. Inside was a little yellow dog, with big brown eyes and long, floppy ears.

"Oooh!" Lavender squealed. "He's sweet."

Amycus narrowed his eyes at her. "No, he is not _sweet_," he hissed. "He's a mut and a stray and a pest. Perhaps if his blood wasn't so dirty he'd have a nice home by now." He gave a wheezy sort of laugh.

Neville watched helpless as the little dog laid down on the floor of it's cage, shaking. He had a terrible, sinking feeling he knew what was going to happen next.

"Miss Parkinson," Amycus called, "would you like to have the first go?"

Pansy shot up out of her chair, smiling. "Yes, of course… uh, have a go at what exactly?"

"I trust you all know about the three curses, previously known as the 'Unforgiveable' Curses?"

"Yes," she answered, though her voice didn't sound quite as sure as it did before.

"Well, I want you to take out your wand and put the Cruciatus Curse on the mut."

"But sir… I've never done it before, I don't know if I…"

"Oh, I doubt you'll be able to do it properly the first time. But I'll show you how it's done later."

Pansy pulled her wand out of her robes and held it out in front of her. The dog flinched instinctively.

"Any time now, Miss Parkinson."

Neville watched as she inhaled deeply. He was distracted as Parvati put a comforting hand on Lavender's back.

"C-crucio," Pansy muttered.

Nothing happened.

"Try again," Amycus encouraged. "Go on."

"Crucio."

Again, nothing.

The entire class sat absolutely still, staring intently at Pansy's back as she faced the dog. No one seemed able to move. There was a terrible feeling in the air that weighed down on each student – how could something so awful, so _evil_ as the Cruciatus Curse, be being taught as if it were nothing – as if it were a _treat_?

"Here's the secret to the Unforgiveable Curses," Amycus said, addressing the class. "You have to very much _want_ them to happen. You need to _want_ to inflict the harm you're intending to. Do you want to hurt the dog, Miss Parkinson?"

Pansy didn't answer.

"Does anyone else want to give it a go? What about you, uh…?"

"Crabbe."

"Yes then. Mr. Crabbe, you give it a try. You may sit down, Miss Parkinson."

Pansy shot back into her seat next to Draco.

Crabbe stood up in front of the dog, who was quivering in the back corner of the cage. He concentrated very hard – a look that seemed so unnatural on his large, square face – and raised his wand at the dog.

"_Crucio_."

The dog let out a pitiful whimper.

"Bloody hell," Seamus muttered, putting his head in his hands. This was the last thing in the world he wanted to see right now.

Neville stared, transfixed at the little yellow dog. It was all he could do to not imagine that same, terrified look on his parents' faces.

"Very good!" Amycus smiled. "Try again."

"_Crucio_"

Again, the dog whimpered and flinched.

Neville watched on, horrified, praying no one would see the hot tears gathering in his eyes.

"Good job, very good – you're first time was it? Excellent! But here, let me show you how it's _really_ done."

Amycus raised his wand. The dog began to claw and bite at the bars of his cage, still whimpering.

"Watch closely. _Crucio!_" he boomed.

The dog fell to its side, its legs twitching in a horribly unnatural way. It began to bark and then make noises Neville didn't think it was possible for any animal to make.

"Oh, stop it! Stop it right now!"

Amycus turned around to face the class.

Lavender was out of her seat, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"Is there a problem Miss…?"

"Yes, there's a problem!" she shrieked. Though Neville couldn't see her face, he could hear that she was crying. "Stop hurting the puppy!"

Amycus rolled his eyes. "What's you're name?"

Lavender didn't say anything. She just stood there, breathing hard.

"_Name_," Amycus demanded.

"Lavender Brown."

"Brown, I strongly suggest you _sit down_ right now."

"Are you going to hurt the dog again?"

"Yes."

"Then I won't!"

"Sit down, Lavender," Seamus whispered behind her.

Amycus looked at her for a long moment. "Thank you, Miss Brown," he finally said. "You have given me the opportunity to show the class that this sort of behaviour will _not_ be tolerated. You are going to be punished, Miss Brown," he growled, though a sinister grin made the corners of his thin lips twitch.

Lavender was instantly back in her seat.

"To the front of the class," he ordered.

Lavender didn't move.

"_Now_," Amycus snarled, holding his wand out in front of his again.

Lavender stood up, clutching her desk. After a moment, she slowly made her way to the front of the class.

"If you don't want me to hurt the mut, then I'll need another subject. Thank you for volunteering."

"No! I –" Lavender looked around desperately, trying to find any way out of the situation.

Amycus raised his wand at her. She shrunk back against the wall, just as the little dog had.

"Stop it!"

Amycus spun around, looking for who had shouted.

Seamus was out of his seat, holding Parvati back. Whether she was going to run for help, attack Amycus, or throw herself in front of Lavender, Neville never found out. He was already out of his own seat and half way to the front of the class. "Stop it!" he cried again. "You can't hurt her! It's illegal!"

"Go to the Minster for all I care," Amycus laughed.

Neville pulled out his wand. "Let her sit back down." He wished his hands weren't shaking quite so much.

Amycus's dark face seemed to brighten somehow and Neville realized, with a sickening pang, that Amycus had had an idea. "Longbottom, isn't it? Yes, I've just had a thought. I'm a reasonable man, son, and I've a proposition for you. Either _I_ am going to punish the girl – or _you_ are."

Neville's throat seemed to close and he had to fight to inhale. "You w-want _me_ to…"

"You or me. Pick now."

"Me," Neville said quickly. He never would have thought he'd have volutenteered for something like this, but he had seen the pain Amycus could inflict – and how could he let that happen again?

Amycus lowered his wand and held out his hand, indicating Lavender, whose eyes were red and puffy and more scared then Neville had ever seen anyone look before.

"_Want_ it, Longbottom," Amycus said, warningly.

Lavender squeezed her eyes shut and, as two fat tears rolled down her cheeks, she lowered her head.

"Crucio," Neville said, very, very softly.

The word tasted so foul in his mouth he nearly spit onto the floor after he'd said it.

"Again!" ordered Amycus.

Neville's entire body shook. He had the sudden thought he might be sick. "Crucio. Crucio. Crucio."

Lavender looked up at him again. She nodded. Somehow, he knew exactly what she meant – _it's okay. Do it. It's okay._

And suddenly, Neville got an idea.

"Crucio," he said, strongly this time.

Still, nothing.

He looked at Lavender very hard and prayed that she would be able to read his eyes as well as he had read her's.

"Crucio. Cruico!"

Lavender's entire body seems to sag and in a minute she was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall. She moaned and cried out, her neck stretched out so that her head was nearly parallel with her shoulder. It was such a sickening sight that for a moment Neville feared he _had_ cursed her.

The bell rang.

No one moved.

Finally, Lavender drooped all the way to the floor, her hands covering her face. In a second, Parvati was beside her.

"Class dismissed," Amycus said lazily.

Parvati pulled Lavender up and put one of her arms over her shoulder. Neville took her other arm and Seamus grabbed their bags.

The Slytherins filed out first, casting wary glances at the four of them. Some of them even seemed sorry.

It wasn't until they were on the next floor that Lavender untangled herself from her fellow Gryffindors. "What do you think happened to that dog?" she asked.

"The dog?" Parvati repeated. "You're still thinking about that _dog_?"

"So I didn't do it?" Neville asked hurriedly, ignoring Parvati. "It didn't work?"

"Oh, of course it didn't," said Lavender, taking her bag from Seamus. "I was faking."

"You could have said something!" cried Parvati.

"And give us away?" Lavender asked. "Besides, I have said something now."

"You weren't actually cursed?" Seamus asked, as Parvati and Neville took their bags back from him, too. "You're a damn good actress then. Merlin's beard, I thought Neville had actually…"

Neville nodded, wide-eyed. "I thought I had, too! I hoped you'd thought to fake it, but you looked like you were in so much pain…"

"Maybe you shouldn't have done it so well, Lavender," Seamus said as they continued on their way to Transfiguration, "now that Carrow will think Neville is some sort of Dark prodigy."

Neville shrugged. "We'll have to tell the rest of the DA about this, faking the Cruciatius Curse, I mean. It worked well enough this time, it might come in handy again."

Seamus smiled mischievously, the first smile Neville had seen since they'd been at Hogwarts. "The rebellion begins," he grinned.


	5. At Hagrid's

**At Hagrid's  
****  
**_"It was your brother, an' all. And you're bes' friend. And Harry, o' course."_

Ginny didn't get a chance to properly talk to Hagrid until three weeks after classes started. It was during a Care of Magical Creatures lesson, which the sixth year Gryffindors shared with the Hufflepuffs.

Hagrid brought her into his hut under the pretence of having her help him carry out baskets of nettles to feed the Grumbumbles they were studying.

As soon as he had shut the door behind him, he rounded on her. "Have yeh heard anythin' from 'em? Know where they are? What they're doin'? If they're safe?"

Ginny couldn't help but smile. "Oh, I'm fine, Hagrid. How are you?"

Hagrid collapsed into a chair and sighed. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I'm jus' so worried about 'em out there."

"I know. I am, too," she said, quietly. "But no, I haven't heard anything."

"I suppose I shouldn't be complainin'," he went on, looking at Ginny. "It was your brother, an' all. And you're bes' friend. And _Harry_, o' course, you two –"

Ginny pushed her hair behind her shoulders and sighed, looking down at her feet.

"Aw, I'm sorry Ginny," Hagrid muttered. "I didn' mean to upset yeh."

"I'm not upset," she mumbled.

"'Course yeh are. How could yeh not be? They're prob'ly the three o' the mos' important people in yer life! If it were me - "

Ginny shot Hagrid a look. "You aren't making me feel any better, you know," she said, though she grinned at him.

He grinned back. "I never was all that good at bein' comfortin'." He stood up and looked out the window, back to the waiting class. "C'mon," he grumbled. "We best be getting' back." He thrust a huge basket into her arms. "Can yeh come down here after dinner? We can talk longer then."

Ginny nodded as best she could, making her way awkwardly to the door. "Sure. Can I bring Luna and Neville?"

Behind her, Ginny heard Hagrid chuckle softly as he lifted his own two baskets.

"What?" she asked.

"Nuthin'."

"_Hagrid_."

"It jus' looks like Hogwarts 'as another trouble-makin' threesome already."

* * *

That evening Ginny, Neville, and Luna finished dinner quickly and headed straight for Hagrid's.

"What do you think he wants to talk about?" Luna asked as they hurried through the Entrance Hall.

Ginny shrugged. "Maybe he thinks I was lying before and that I really _do_ know something."

"Or maybe," Neville said, hopefully, as the three of them rushed through the door, "_he_ knows something! Maybe he has good news!"

Ginny didn't answer. The same thought had occurred to her, but she didn't dare get her hopes up.

The three raced across the grounds towards the Forest, their robes billowing out behind them. Before they reached the hut, however, they could see Hagrid standing outside, waving them down. They quickened their pace, rushing forward.

"What is it?" Ginny panted once they reached Hargid.

"Did yeh see it? Did yeh _see_ it?"

"See what?" Neville demanded, clutching a stitch in his side.

"The paper! The paper! The evenin' paper!"

"No – what is it?" Ginny asked, breathlessly. "Is everything okay? He's not – they're not…"

"C'mon in," Hagrid muttered. "You lot best see this for yourself."

Ginny, Neville, and Luna shot each other worried glances, then followed Hagrid inside.

"It's over there, on the table," Hagrid mumbled as he poured water into a kettle to make tea.

Luna snatched a paper up from the table. "It's the _Evening Prophet_," she said. Her eyes widened as she quickly scanned the front page.

"What's it say?" Ginny demanded impatiently.

"It's about Harry."

Ginny gripped the back of the chair in front of her. Neville sank into the one beside him.

"It's okay," Luna went on, quickly. "They haven't found him." She turned the paper and showed Neville and Ginny the front page.

" 'Undesirable Number One'?" Neville read. "What does that even mean?"

"It means there's ten thousand Galleon reward for whoever finds him," Luna explained. "Harry is the Ministry's top priority."

Hagrid began passing out tea. "But this could be a good thing," he said. "I mean – they haven't caught 'im yet, righ'?"

"I guess so," said Neville, taking his tea in both his hands. Luna quickly unfolded the paper and began to read. Ginny stared at the front page, watching the large picture of Harry under the headline and trying to remember the exact shade of green his eyes were.

A knock at the window pulled each of them out of their thoughts with a start.

"What the…?" Hagrid muttered, turning to the window. A handsome Grey Owl was tapping at the window. Hagrid opened it and the owl flew in, landing on the table in front of Ginny.

"Expectin' a letter from someone?" Hagrid asked, as the owl held out its leg to her.

"No…" Ginny murmured. "Mum and Dad would have just sent a letter with the morning post, wouldn't they? And I've never seen this owl before."

Neville leaned forward. "Maybe it's from…"

Neville didn't need to finish his thought as he and Ginny looked at each other.

"Well, open it!" Hagrid boomed.

Ginny quickly untied the letter and unrolled it and read aloud.

_Dear Ginny,  
__I know it's been a while since we moved out on our own, but no need to worry about us. We're with each other, so we'll always have someone to Leen on.  
__We've heard about all the changes at Hogwarts. Now, we expect you to behave just as we would, all right? You're in sixth year and you need to set an example, so make your brothers proud.  
__Speaking of brothers, we're worried about Ron. Mum's told us he's still very ill. Please, please send us any news about him.  
__Let us know if you need anything.  
__With lots of love, your brothers,  
__Fred & George.  
__P.S. Go _Lions_!_

Neville smiled. "'We expect you to behave just as we would'," he repeated. "Do they expect you to hop on a broom, set off a bunch of fireworks and make a swamp out of the second floor?"

Ginny smiled, too. "Something like that. Funny, though… they spelt 'lean' wrong."

"Have they?" Luna asked, taking the letter from her. "And they've capitalized it. Odd. They always seemed bright to me, but maybe spelling isn't their..."

Ginny's eyes widened suddenly. "_Lee_!" she cried. "Lee Jordan is with them! That must be what they meant!"

Luna passed the letter to Hagrid. "Writin' in code," he muttered, smiling. "Must've though' the letter might 'o bin screened."

"Go Lions…" Ginny muttered, more to herself then anyone else. "What could they have meant by 'Lions'…?"

"You mean that doesn't mean anything to you?" Neville asked.

"No," Ginny sighed.

Neville furrowed his brow, thinking. "Maybe they're just talking about Gryffindor? They want us to win the House Cup or something?"

Ginny shook her head. "I doubt they'd care about winning prizes right now… it must be something else…"

"Well," Luna said brightly, "the rest of it seems straightforward enough... they want to hear any news you get about Ron… and probably Harry and Hermione, as well."

Ginny nodded. "It's good to hear from them, though. They were talking about leaving their joke shop, going underground and supporting Harry."

Hagrid laughed. "You Weasleys got a mad streak in yeh. Good, but mad."

They talked about Fred and George's letter for a while longer, then more about Harry, Ron and Hermione. Ginny didn't seem to think it was the best time to tell Hagrid that they had reformed Dumbledore's Army – he was a teacher after all, and this seemed like something that needed to be kept within the DA for now. The sun was setting when the conversation turned to lessons.

"I hate those horrible Dark Arts classes," Luna moaned, sipping on her third cup of tea. "And Muggle Studies! Two girls left my last Muggle Studies class tears because of that awful Carrow woman."

There was a crash of porcelain on wood. Hargid had crushed his giant tea mug. "Don' say _tha'_ name in _my_ house!" he cried.

"I take it you're not fond of them, either?" Ginny asked, as he swept up the shards of his mug and threw them away.

"You could say tha'," he growled. He turned quickly to Neville. "I heard what they made you do – _you_, of all people! To think! I heard they made you curse tha' Brown girl!"

Neville began to shake his head furiously. "No! No, Hagrid, you don't understand – I didn't curse her!"

Hagrid shook his head. "Don' you feel bad abou' it, Neville. All the teachers agree, you didn' have a choice."

"But I didn't!" Neville insisted. "She faked it! She only _pretended_ to be cursed."

Hagrid's mouth opened stupidly for a moment. "Pretended?" he finally repeated. "But…"

"You can't tell anyone," Ginny put in quickly. She, and everyone else in the DA, had heard the story of Lavender's brilliant acting a hundred times over. "It's got to stay a secret. If the Carrows find out we're not cursing each other…"

"I won' say a word!" Hagrid swore. "Not a word to no one." He turned and looked out the window. "You all bes' be getting' back. It's almos' dark. Don't need to give them no reason to get yeh in trouble." He gathered their mugs and dumped them into his sink.

"Thanks for the tea, Hagrid," smiled Luna as she led the way out the door.

Ginny looked down at the paper still on the table. "Can I take this with me?" she asked.

Hagrid nodded. "'O course." He stopped the and looked at the three of them standing in his doorway.

"What?" Neville finally asked.

"You three aren't doin' _more _then pretendin' to curse each other, are yeh?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Ginny as she rolled up the paper and put it in the pocket of her robes.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Professor Slughorn told me that Alecto Carrow couldn't get the door to his office open for three days – there was some Charm on it. In the end, he had to get Professor Flitwick to open it for 'im."

"Really?" Ginny asked, polietly. "I hadn't heard."

"It wasn' you three?"

"Hagrid," Neville said earnestly, "you know I'm terrible with Charms."

"Yeah… but didn't Padma Patil get and Outstanding on her Charms O.W.L?"

"So did a lot of kids," Ginny pointed out.

Hagrid narrowed his eyes at them. "But I though' I heard her and her sister talking just the other day about…"

"It's been lovely chatting Hagrid," Ginny interrupted, "but we really should go. I've got tons of homework, thanks to McGonagall. See you soon!"

With that, the three of them filed out the door and sped up back to the castle. Hagrid watched them go and was sadly reminded of three other students he used to watch make their way up the that castle.


	6. The Slytherin Common Room & Malfoy Manor

**The Slytherin Common Room & Malfoy Manor**

_"Here at school things are different, but we won't be here forever. Soon we're going to have to choose what kind of men we want to become."_

"Didn't you _hear_?"

Pansy turned to look at the other Slytherin seventh years as they struggled through a particularly long Transfiguration essay.

"What?" Blaise asked, scratching his chin with his quill. He, Draco, and Daphne had been talking about Ravenclaw's upcoming Quidditch match with Gryffindor and what the outcome would mean for Slytherin.

Pansy put down her quill. "Weasley's been _banned _from the Gryffindor team. They haven't got a decent Chaser now and their new Seeker is rubbish – some fifth year who can hardly catch a Quaffle, let alone a Snitch."

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "How do you know all this?"

"Oh, I've been going to their practices."

"Very mature," Daphne muttered, turning back to her essay. Pansy scowled at her.

Nearby, Theodore Nott yawned pointedly.

"Why was she banned?" Draco asked, ignoring him.

"Well, remember when the door to Professor Carrow's office was jinxed shut?"

"Yeah," said Draco, "but everyone knows that was the Patil twins."

Pansy smiled gleefully, thrilled to have such great gossip to share. "I know, but when they were finally caught, Longbottom said _he_ did it."

"Longbottom?" Blaise scoffed. "He could never pull off a jinx that good."

"How do you spell 'snufflilfors'?" Goyle asked, looking up from his parchment.

"Anyway," Pansy went on as though she hadn't been interrupted, "that's what he said. And somehow Weasley got herself involved, too. And Loony Lovegood."

"Of course," Draco muttered. "Those three would never turn down a chance to play heroes. Now that Potter's gone, I bet Longbottom fancies stepping into his shoes. Probably to impress Weasley – though he hasn't got a chance with her."

"Weasley?" Pansy repeated. "Not her – Longbottom fancies Hannah Abott."

Daphne turned to face her again. "How do you know all this?" she asked, half annoyed, half impressed.

"It's obvious, with the way he gawks at her all the time."

"You have far too much time on your hands, Parkinson," Nott sighed, rolling up is finished essay.

"What's Abbott's blood status?" Crabbe asked, suddenly.

Pansy thought for a moment. "Pure, I think?"

"She's at least half though, isn't she," Draco said, "or else she wouldn't even be at Hogwarts."

"I'm sure plenty faked their statuses," Daphne shrugged. "I would have."

Crabbe scowled at her, but before he had opened this mouth to say anything, Draco absently said, "yeah, your sister said something like that the other day."

It was Pansy's turn to scowl.

"What?" Nott asked as he stood to leave. "Who _wouldn't _try to fake it?"

Pansy ignored him and he quickly realized that he had mistaken why she was scowling. "You're still talking to Astoria, then?"

Before Draco could answer, Daphne flared up. "He can talk to my sister if he likes. Why don't you try keeping your nose out of people's business for once?"

Blaise leaned back in his chair, looking over his essay. "Will you two shut up? I'm reading."

Daphne turned back to her essay, but Pansy still glared at the back of her head.

"Seems stupid though, doesn't?" Blaise said suddenly. "Weasley should have known not to get herself in trouble – if Gryffindor doesn't win by at least fifty point they'll never have a chance at –"

Nott laughed quietly to himself as he strode away from the group.

"What's so funny?" Draco demanded.

"You all still think _Quidditch_ matters?"

* * *

Neville rushed down the second floor corridor, his shoelaces untied and books and loose papers clutched to his chest.

"Late, Longbottom?"

Neville looked up to see Draco Malfoy standing in the middle of the corridor, barring his way.

"Just let me by, Malfoy," he sighed.

Draco shook his head slowly. "You know, I don't think I can. You see, as a prefect, I have certain duties to uphold. You, for instance, think you're a real rebel, don't you? How do I know you're not late because you were jinxing Professor Carrow's office shut again?"

"I'm late because I couldn't find my Herbology book," Neville snapped. "Now, would you please _move_?" He stepped quickly to the right, but Draco mirrored his movement, still standing in front of him.

"Not so fast. You see Longbottom, I know what you're doing. We _all_ know what you're doing, even though you think you're being sly about it."

"What are you talking about?" Neville asked, though he felt his face grow warm.

"It's fifth year all over again, isn't it? Only Saint Potter isn't here to marshal you all, so the job's been left to you, hasn't it?"

"Just let me by, Malfoy…" Neville muttered, staring down at his shoes.

Draco went on as if he hadn't spoken. "You and you're ridiculous friends actually think these stupid little pranks you pull are going to somehow put Hogwarts back to the way it was." Draco laughed. "Really, as if Fanged Frisbees are going to bring Albus Dumbledore back or – "

Neville took a menacing step forward, a new fierce look in his eye. "Shut up, Malfoy," he spat.

"Oh, touched a nerve, have I?"

"Let me by, or I'll… I'll…"

"You'll what, Longbottom?" Draco sneered. "It's just you. You haven't got your friends to protect you anymore. Potter isn't going to curse me for you and that filthy Granger isn't here to whisper something useful to you – "

Neville shifted his books and papers and clumsily pulled his wand out of his robes. The sneer didn't move from Draco's face. "Really, you'll probably end up doing more damage to yourself then to me," he laughed.

Neville could nearly feel his blood boiling. All the hatred and frustration that he had been feeling ever since he had returned to Hogwarts suddenly felt as if it were about to burst out of him. He saw Terry Boot, beaten and bloodied, on their first night back. He saw Lavender crouched on the floor or the Dark Arts classroom, with Seamus holding a terrified Parvati back. He saw Ginny sitting alone in the common room, undoubtedly thinking about the three people she loved most. He saw Ron and Hermione at Dumbledore's funeral, crying. He saw Seamus smoking. He saw Hannah and her lovely, sweet face, contorted with sadness and concern as he limped towards her and his fellow seventh years after another one of his detentions.

And he saw Malfoy, standing there in front of him, grinning stupidly.

"Go on," he jeered. "Curse me."

Neville swallowed hard. "No."

Draco laughed, quietly. "Good choice."

But Neville took another step forward, so suddenly that Draco actually took a step back. "I'm not going to curse you because it's not worth it."

"Please, Gryffindor is already negative points, thanks to Finnigan."

"This isn't about points. I don't like cursing people. You're just not worth having on my conscience."

Draco stood there for a moment, and then said, "you're making no sense, Longbottom. As usual."

"You know Malfoy," Neville continued, stronger then he felt, "There is gonna come a time where you have to choose who you really want to be. Here at school things are different, but we won't be here forever. Soon we're going to have to choose what kind of men we want to become – and I don't want to be a man who curses ever idiot who insults him!"

A horrible smirk pulled at the corner of Draco's lips. "That's quite deep, Longbottom, especially coming from you. I didn't think you were able to string that many words together."

"You might act tough to make yourself feel better, but I know."

"You know _what_?"

Neville lowered his voice. "I know you see them."

Draco tried to make his voice sound confused, though his heart began to race. "See what?" he demanded.

"_Thestrals_."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I saw you're face when we were getting into the carriages."

Draco stood there stupidly for a moment, his mind racing to figure a way out of this situation, but he couldn't come up with anything. All he could think about were those horrible winged horses and how different their sunken, dead eyes were from Charity Burbage's huge, pleading ones.

"You know what?" Draco said at length. "Go by. I don't care. You're really not worth my time, anyway."

"I'm worth twelve of you," Neville muttered, shouldering Draco sharply as he strode past.

* * *

_"There's something there," he whispered, "it could be the scar, stretched tight… Draco, come where, look properly! What do you think?"_

_Draco walked up beside his father, looking down at the boy he knew was Potter. It would take more then a Stinging Jinx for him not to recognize the boy he'd gone to school with for the past six years. _

_"I don't know," Draco muttered. As quickly as he could, he moved form his father and the bound prisoners and stood beside his mother. She seemed to sense the fear in him and when her cold, blue eyes met his, they silently told him to be strong, to make it through this night with dignity, however hard that might be._

_He heard his parents and the werewolf talking excitedly as he stared into the fire. He loathed Potter – _loathed _him – but he never wanted to see him, to see anyone, in this state. He was tied up like an animal, dirty and terrified. He thought back to a distant Dark Arts class and realized then that he would never have been able to Crucio that dog._

_"Yes – yes, she was in Madam Malkin's with Potter! I saw her picture in the _Prophet_! Look, Draco, isn't it the Granger girl?"_

_Draco was pulled sharply back into the present when he heard his name. He looked down at the girl in front of him. There could be no question this time – it was Granger._

_But, where Potter's swollen, distorted face had been unable to show much emotion, exhaustion, worry, and terror were etched clearly on Granger's face. Her eyes begged him to spare her and her friends and he shuddered, silently praying that no person would ever look at him that way again._

_"_Soon we're going to have to choose what kind of men we want to become."

_Draco tired very hard to push Longbottom's quivering, stupid voice from his mind. It was easy for him to be noble and heroic at school, but this was real life – this was _his_ life. How could he choose the kind of man he wanted to be when his path had already been chosen for him? He was acutely aware of the ugly burn on his left arm and in that moment he hated Voldemort, he hated his father, and he hated himself._

_"I… maybe… yeah."_

_"But then, that's the Weasley boy!" his father shouted._

_Draco looked away, staring intently at the carpet as if trying to commit it to memory. Yes, that was the Weasley boy. It was as clear as anything._

_"Draco," his father went on excitedly, "look at him, isn't it Aruther Weasley's son, what's his name –?"_

Ron_, Draco thought. _His name is Ron_._

_Ron glared up at Draco. His eyes were much different than Granger's had been; not pleading and hopeless, but angry and hateful. _

_Draco couldn't bare to look at them anymore and turned away. "Yeah. It could be."_

_He felt Ron's hot, evil glare bore into his back. _I know_, he thought_, I hate me, too.

* * *

_When they tortured Granger, Draco calmly excused himself and, shaking all over, vomited in the yard. _


	7. The Headmaster's Office

**The Headmaster's Office**

_"There is a greater good we must think about, Severus."_

The first thing Ginny noticed when they walked into Snape's office was Gryffindor's Sword laying in its glass case next to the desk. She glared at it, feeling her temper – always close to the surface these days – ready to flare again.

_That's Harry's, that's Harry's, that's Harry's._

It seemed the greatest injustice in the world that something that so obviously belonged to Harry sat _here_, in _his_ office. It was Harry's because he pulled it from the Hat, it was Harry's because he saved her with it.

_That's Harry's._

She wasn't brought back to the present until she head Snape's angry, clipped voice.

"Take that wand from behind your ear, you insufferable girl!"

She turned and looked over at Luna and Neville, and Luna fumbled with clumsy, shaking fingers to shove her wand in the pocket of her robes.

The three of them were lined up in front of Snape's desk, with Snape standing up, leaning over it, his eyes black slits of malice.

He glared at each one of them in turn. "Who did it?" he finally demanded in a low threatening growl.

"I did," Neville said automatically.

Snape didn't even bother to look at Neville as he said lazily, "Longbottom, even the simplest Charms are completely beyond you. I warn you not to test my patience with your oh-so noble lies. Now, _who did it_?"

He was staring at Ginny, though she didn't notice. Her eyes were still glued to the glittering sword, her mind already racing as she formed her plan for it.

Neville opened his mouth to protest, but was too long in finding his voice; someone else spoke first.

"It was me, Professor."

Both Ginny and Neville turned to look at Luna. This had not been part of their plan.

"You?" Snape repeated.

"No," Neville began quickly, "she's only trying to protect me, aren't you Luna? It was me –"

"I will not give you another warning," Snape snapped, now glaring at Neville.

Neville shut his eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself. _Picture him in Grandma's hat, picture him in Grandma's hat._

He looked pleadingly over Snape's black shoulder to the portrait of Dumbledore, sleeping peacefully in his chair. _Wake up_, Neville silently begged, _wake up, wake up, wake up. Help us. _But Dumbledore's eyes remained shut, his breathing deep and even.

"I did it," Luna went on. "I'm quite good in Charms, actually," she added conversationally.

Neville looked desperately at Ginny. She seemed just as lost as he was. Both of them had been prepared to take the fall, but it had never occurred to them that Luna might end up in more trouble than either of them.

Snape, hands planted firmly on his wide, ornate desk, looked at Luna for a long moment. The room was deadly silent. Luna stared down at her feet, trying to tell herself not to look so young and frightened. But she couldn't help it – she _was_ young and frightened.

"And these two helped you?" Snape finally asked, jerking his head over at Neville and Ginny.

"Yes," Ginny said quickly. "In fact, it was all my idea. I asked her to Jinx the door because I'm no good at it myself. I made her do it, I – "

"What did I say about _lying_?" Snape hissed. "All of you will need to be punished. Detention tonight, I think. Eight o'clock, in Professor Alecto Carrow's office. You'll find you'll be able to open the door now."

Neville grabbed Luna's hand, practically dragging her out of the office and down the stairs. Snape just managed to hear his hurried, angry whispers. _"What were you thinking? Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?" _

It took him a moment to realize that Ginny was still standing there, glaring at him defiantly.

"What is it, Weasley?" he snapped. "Anything else you'd like to confess? I suppose you know something about who set off those Dungbombs in Professor Amycus Carrow's third year class?"

"I do, actually, but I'm not going to say anything about it."

Snape gritted his teeth. "Then why are you still here, you impertinent girl?"

"That's Harry's sword."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Get out of my office, Weasley, and don't talk about things you don't understand."

Ginny clenched her hands into fists, determined to stand her ground. "Dumbledore left it to Harry. If you had any sense of right and wrong –"

"I warned you not to talk about things you don't understand," Snape repeated, louder this time and with an unmistakably threatening note in his voice.

"What I don't _understand_? How can you possibly know right from wrong? Look and what you've turned this school into! You've just sent one of the kindest, most innocent people at Hogwarts to be Cursed and tortured! Not to mention Neville, who –"

"I have had _more_ than enough of your insubordination!" Snape roared.

"You're a monster!" Ginny cried, ignoring him, "A murderer! You're a coward!"

"Get out."

"Give Harry that sword –"

"Get out!"

Snape's voice was so terrifyingly angry that Ginny jumped back a little. As he glared at her with an intense hatred she had never seen before, she didn't dare disobey. She spun around and ran from the room, her heart beating wildly against her chest.

She had tried to help, tried to contribute in one small way to Harry's quest. But all she's managed to do was get herself in more trouble. Feeling completely useless, she ran down the staircase, looking for Neville and Luna.

But it wasn't over. She was going to get that sword if it killed her.

* * *

Snape continued to stand behind his desk, his head hung low between his shoulders. "And I suppose this is all part of your plan, is it?"

Dumbledore shifted in the portrait behind Snape. "This is not what I wanted," he admitted quietly, "but it is a necessary evil, Severus. We must not waver."

"We?" Snape repeated. "This has nothing to do with you. You died a hero, and I'm the monster who murdered you, remember?"

"In the end, Severus –"

"_In the end_," Snape repeated angrily. "Perhaps it's time you start thinking about _now_, about what these kids are going through."

There was a quiet moment, and then Dumbledore said, "I'm very glad to know their fates mean something to you, Severus."

"Of course they mean something," Snape spat. "They're just children."

"They have proved themselves more then children this year."

"I'm sure that will be a great comfort to Longbottom once the Carrows send him the same way as his parents," Snape muttered darkly. He strode out from behind the desk and paced up and down the office. "Weasley and Lovegood have at least got enough sense to take the punishment their given; Longbottom and his continuing need to prove himself _brave_ will fight it – you know he will. And," he went on, still pacing angrily, "it won't get him anything but another Curse."

Snape finally stopped his and rant and looked over at Dumbledore's portrait. He quickly looked away again as Dumbledore dabbed his wet eyes with a handkerchief.

"I've always known that Neville was a very brave individual, but I think the world could learn something from they way he conducted himself in this office."

Snape looked back at Dumbledore, his eyebrow raised. "The way he conducted himself? Do you mean the way he shook like a leaf or the way he ran out of the office as if it were on fire?"

"I _mean_," Dumbledore went on firmly, putting away his handkerchief, "the way he didn't hesitate in turning himself it, the way he tried to shield his friends from punishment."

"Weasley did the same, what's your point?"

"Don't you remember his third year? The year Remus Lupin taught Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"How could I forget?" Snape muttered sarcastically.

"Neville's boggart was _you_, Severus. _You_ were his biggest fear and he stood here, ready to put himself between you and his friends." Dumbledore sounded as if this was the most incredible story of heroism he'd ever heard.

"And yet you're willing to send your brave new hero to the Carrows," Snape pointed out.

Dumbledore looked down at his hands. "There is a greater good we must think about, Severus. Yes," he went on, more to himself then to Snape, "a greater good."

Snape rolled his eyes. "I'll be sure to tell that to the children when they inevitably have to face their greatest fears this year as well. Weasley stayed behind to give me a lecture about morals – does that make her a hero?"

Dumbledore looked back up. "Ginevera?"

"Yes. Has she faced her greatest fear?"

"No," Dumbledore sighed, somewhat distractedly, "Ginevera's boggart is a diary,"


	8. Detention

**Detention**  
_"How's about I keep count of all the times you shout here on your arm?"_

Neville, Ginny and Luna stood in Alecto's office as she filled out three forms and handed them to Filch. He shuffled away, wheezing, papers clutched to his chest. "Always knew you were trouble," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at Ginny.

As he left, Amycus came in, followed by three boys.

"These are the students you chose," he said lazily, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"Wonderful," Alecto grinned. "Extra credit." She motioned for Crabbe, Goyle, and Zambini to stand on the other side of the room. "But where's Mr. Malfoy?" she asked.

"He's sick," Goyle answered.

"He seemed fine in class today," she pointed out.

Goyle shrugged. "Says he's sick."

"Oh well," she grunted. "Let's get started. Have you three been practicing?"

They nodded.

"Good. It's that one today," she said, stretching out her stubby arm and pointing at Luna. Luna took a step back and Ginny grabbed her hand.

"Come up here, girl," Alecto ordered. "Hurry up, I haven't got all day."

Luna stepped away from her friends and stood in front of Alecto.

"Uh, you might want to do something about _them_," Amycus piped up from his seat, indicating Neville and Ginny.

Alecto smiled, revealing her horrible yellow teeth. "They won't make a fuss," she assured her brother. Amycus shrugged and leaned back again.

"Mr. Crabbe," Alecto went on, "you first. The Cruciatus Cruse."

"What?" Ginny cried, her eyes wide in disbelief. "_This_ is extra credit?"

"They're getting practice in the Dark Arts and you're being punished; two Muggles, one stone."

"That's not how the saying goes," Neville spat.

"I _told_ you you'd have to do something about them," Amycus sighed.

"Oh, I don't care. Go on, Crabbe."

Crabbe took a lumbering step forward. "Crucio!"

Luna instantly crumpled onto the floor.

"_No_!"

"Luna!"

"Good job, very good," said Alect, nodding. "Zambini, you next."

Ginny moved to pull her wand out of her robes. She couldn't let this happen without doing something about it. But as soon as her hand moved toward to pocket she heard some shout, "_incarcerous_!"

Before Ginny knew it, she was tied up and Amycus was shoving her into a chair, as she struggled against the ropes he had conjured. He glared at Neville. "Don't try anything stupid," he warned.

Zambini crused Luna. She cried out, writhing on the ground.

"Stop it!" Neville ordered, ignoring the tears forming in his eyes, "_stop it_! You've cursed her, that's enough."

Alecto ignored him. "Try again, that one was weak."

"Crucio!"

"Again."

"No!" Neville cried. He moved toward Luna, but Alecto was behind him in an instant. She waved a sharp silver knife with a black and green handle at him. "Uh-uh, little Muggle-crusader. Stay put. Again, Zambini."

"Crucio!"

Luna screamed out, her big bight eyes shut tight, her long blond hair splayed out under her.

"_Luna_!"

"One."

Neville felt a searing pain on his right arm as something hot and wet seeped into his robes.

"How's about I keep count of all the times you shout here on your arm?"

"Neville," Ginny said from her seat, still struggling against the ropes, "just be quiet. Look, the more we fight it, the longer they're going to curse her –"

"Beauty _and_ brains!" Amycus laughed from his seat.

"You go, Goyle," Alecto ordered

Luna was limp on the ground, her eyes open, but unfocused. She looked like a marionette someone had dropped and never bother to pick up.

"Luna…" Neville muttered, looking down at her, feeling absolutely useless. As Goyle took a step forward, Luna's eyes glanced over at Neville and the look she gave him was so hauntingly familiar that he expect her to offer him a sweet wrapper.

Before their detention was done, Neville had seventeen gashes in his arm.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Ginny helped Luna down the hall, one arm behind her back to keep her steady. "I'm fine," Luna kept saying, "honestly, it's not so bad." But Ginny could see how slow she was moving and knew that if she moved her arm, Luna would stumble.

"I'll get you to Madam Pomfrey," Ginny assured her. "You'll be just fine. It's going to be okay…"

"I'm fine… I'm… fine… I just –"

"_Luna_!"

As soon as the rounded the corner, a girl flung her arms around Luna neck and hugged her tightly.

"Padma?" Luna asked weakly, as Padma sobbed into Luna's shoulder.

Two other people were standing there, too. Ernie MacMillan and Susan Bones darted over to Ginny and Luna almost as quickly as Padma had done.

"We were hoping you'd be going to the Hospital Wing," Ernie said hurriedly, "we didn't want to wait too close to Alecto's office – thought it would look suspicious – but we wanted to make sure you were all right."

"We're fine," Ginny assured them. "Well," she added, glancing over at Padma, who was still weeping unrestrainedly onto Luna's shoulder, "we seem better than you lot. What's happened?"

Padma finally pulled herself away to explain. "It w-was _m-m-me_!" she wailed. "Parv-v-vati and I sh-should have been the ones in th-there. But y-you took the blame! H-how can I th-th-thank you?"

Luna gave Padma a sympathetic smile as Padma flung her arms around her neck again. "Well," Luna said, patting her a little awkwardly on the back, "perhaps you could stop stealing my shoes."

Ernie, Susan, and Ginny laughed. "Come on," Susan said kindly, as she and Padma began to help Luna walk again, "let's get you two to the Hospital Wing. Some of us are out in the courtyard - once you're there, I'll tell them that you're all right."

"Where's Neville?" Ernie asked, looking around.

"He came out with us," Ginny explained, "but he said he wanted to go the bathroom first." Although Ginny hadn't wanted the three of them to split up, Neville seemed like he wanted some time to compose himself. His arm did worry Ginny though, and she hoped he wouldn't stay too long.

Ernie nodded understandingly as the five of them made their way up the hall.

* * *

Hannah had been waiting out in the courtyard with a few other members of Dumbledore's Army. There was so much to talk about – whether or not to let new, younger members in; whether it was safe to use the fake Galleons again – and there seemed to be the safest place, away from the teachers and Mrs. Norris.

She'd come in because she was cold and still had half and essay to write and was on her way back to the Hufflepuff common room when something stopped her dead in her tracks.

"_Neville_?" she gasped. Susan had said that he hadn't been with Ginny and Luna, but was sure that by now he'd be safe in the Hospital Wing.

She had never seen anyone in a worse state. He was limping badly, his hand clutched firmly over his left arm. One of his eyes was black and his lip was bleeding.

She quickly ran over to him, though he looked away from her as she did.

"Neville," she repeated, horrified, as she looked over his bruised face, "your lip, what happened to – ?"

"Goyle," Neville explained, simply.

Hannah grabbed Neville's good arm and steered him to the nearest staircase, sitting him down on the first step. She sat up on the second to have a look at his arm. "Merlin's beard," she gasped, "how many times did the cut you?"

"It's fine," he muttered, looking anywhere but at her. "I'm fine."

"No you're not – look at your arm! Oh, what did they _do_ to you?"

"Alecto has a knife…"

"You need to go to the Hospital Wing," she said, firmly. "Madam Pomfrey can –"

"No, Hannah," Neville mumbled, staring down at his feet. "I just need to be on my own for a bit, all right?"

"Neville," she protested, "you – "

"_Please_, Hannah."

Hannah's brow can together as she looked down at him. He was finally looking at her and it seemed as if he were in so much pain that she couldn't have denied him anything at that moment.

"All right… all right. But will you let me have a look at your arm?"

Neville just nodded, looking back at his shoes.

He couldn't go the Hospital Wing now, he couldn't bear to see Luna and remember all that he had just seen. They tortured her – _tortured her_ – right in front of him, and he hadn't done anything to stop it. He wasn't anything like they thought he was: he wasn't brave like Harry, he wasn't clever like Hermione, he wasn't strong like Ron. There was no way he could be their leader. Luna had looked right at him and asked him to help her; all he had done was called out her name, lied and said it would be over soon, and got another cut on his arm. He couldn't save Luna, he couldn't save any of them – that was it; Hogwarts was gone.

"Oh, Neville, did I hurt you?"

It was only after Hannah had spoken that Neville realized he was crying.

He tried to move away from her, tried to quickly dry his eyes on his bloody robes, but she wouldn't let him. She looked down at him and seemed to know exactly what he had been thinking.

Neville hoped she wouldn't try to make him talk, make him sort all this out, but she didn't.

She placed her arm firmly around his shoulders, pulling him back to her. Without saying anything, she kissed the top of his head. Neville rested his head on her shoulder and finally felt safe enough to close his stinging eyes.

They sat like that until the blood from Neville's arm soaked through Hannah's robes and she forced him to the Hospital Wing.


	9. Potterwatch

**Potterwatch**

_"False hope isn't hope," Seamus spat._

Ginny was talking to Neville a mile a minute, her face set with determination as she pled her case. She wanted to start using the fake Galleons again.

"But they _know_ about them," Neville insisted, for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Do they?" Ginny whispered, moving closer to him. It was eleven o'clock on a Wednesday night and the common room was nearly empty. Far from helping matters, having less noise around made it much harder to have a secret conversation.

"Think about it," Ginny persisted. "Do the Carrows ever search us for them?"

"But _Snape_ must know! He was here when –"

"Oh, who knows how much that Marietta girl spilled?" Ginny said dismissively, waving her hand in front of her as if to clear away the thought. "She may not have said anything about them! Kingsley put a Memory Charm on her – she couldn't even say who our leader was!"

Neville shook his head. "I'm sure Snape knows. And if _Snape_ knows, than the _Carrows_ know. And if they catch us with them? If you thought Marietta's face looked bad, just imagine what they'll do to us!"

"Look, it's a good plan," insisted Ginny. "And no one will tell this time." She hesitated for a moment as she thought of Zacharias Smith, but even he hated the Carrows far too much to rat them out. "We can make the curse on them stronger, and warn everyone about it – maybe they'll be too scared to tell?"

"You sound like the Carrows!" Neville cried, genuinely shocked. A few third years sitting by the fire turned to look at them. "I _mean_," Neville whispered, "you can't scare people into doing what you want; that makes you just as bad as them!"

"You're right, you're right," sighed Ginny, lowering her head.

"Besides," Neville continued. "what about Veritaserum? Curse or no curse, someone will tell if they're given it."

"But all our whispering back and forth looks so suspicious!" Ginny objected. "We need to be able to contact each other – and not just dates and times – we need _messages_."

"Ginny," said Neville, seriously, "that's really complicated magic! It took Hermione to do it last time."

"We have to try," she insisted, fiercely. "_Someone_ in the DA should be able to think of _something_!"

"We're going around in circles," Neville sighed, putting his head I his hands. "Let's talk about this tomorrow. I'll ask Seamus what he thinks. Maybe a new perspective will help."

"Fine," Ginny said, sitting up a little straighter. "Than I want to talk about the Sword of Gryffindor."

"Don't start that again, Ginny!"

"It doesn't belong in that office!"

A timid voice came from somewhere in front of them. "Ex-excuse me?"

Ginny and Neville both looked up suddenly and saw a terrified-looking first year standing in front of their chairs.

"What do you want?" Ginny snapped, suddenly terrified they had been overheard. "Trying to eavesdrop?"

"N-n-no!" cried the boy, his eyes wide with fear. He looked from Ginny to Neville and seemed to realize just how much bigger they were than he was.

Ginny sighed. "Well," she said, a little kinder, "what do you want?"

The boy took a deep breath. "I was comin' back from the library and they stopped me and asked me, but I said no, I said I wouldn't let them in – _no way_! I said it like that, but I as all scared. So, they told me to go find Longbutton, but I said I didn't know who that was, so they told me to go find the girl with red hair and I did and I found you and I wasn't eavesdropping."

"Slow down," said Neville, trying not to laugh at the kid. "What's the problem?"

"They want to come in!"

Ginny and Neville exchanged confused looks. "Who?"

"The Ravenclaws!"

"Where are they?" Ginny demanded.

"Outside. I left them in front of the Fat Lady."

"_What_?" Ginny jumped up, rushing toward the portrait hole, Neville and the boy right behind her. "Are they _stupid_? They can't just _stand_ out there, they'll be seen! I can't imagine the kinds of curses they'll come up with to punish us for this!"

The boy gulped.

Ginny flung the portrait open. "Where are they?" she asked, scanning the empty corridor.

Neville turned to the boy. "Do you know who it was? Which Ravenclaws?"

The boy shook his head, staring at his feet. "They were older," he mutted, apologetically.

Neville looked over Ginny's shoulder and the two of them craned their necks to see as far as they could. "Maybe they're hiding?" Neville wondered aloud, though that didn't seem very likely.

"Looney!" the boy cried, suddenly. "One of them was Looney Lovegood!"

"Don't call her that," Ginny snapped, automatically.

"Oh, that's all right," said a dreamy voice in front of her. "Could you move over a bit? We really ought to get inside."

Ginny stared hard at the empty space in front of her. "Tell me the truth, Neville," she whispered, "have I gone mad?"

"Not unless I've come with you," he answered, looking at the wall on the opposite side of the hall.

"Really!" came another, deeper voice. "Will you two _move_?"

Neville and Ginny stepped back and stood aside with the boy. They heard footsteps and rustling robes, then the portrait swung shut.

Ginny took a tentative step forward. "Luna?" she asked quietly. "Luna, are you –"

"Really, it's like they've never seen a Disillusionment Charm before!" Anthony Goldstein had materialized in front of them.

The boy jumped back.

"Thank you, Brian," said Luna to the little boy, as she appeared in front of them, too. "You did very well."

Soon, Padma Patil and Michael Corner were standing there, too.

The third-years by the fire rushed over to the growing crowd.

"What are _they_ doing in _here_?" cried a girl in pigtails.

"It's all right," Neville said, quickly, "don't worry. They're with us."

The girl looked up at Neville and Ginny was somewhat surprised to see her look reassured. "All right," she said simply. Her friends continued to eye the Ravenclaws suspiciously, but she ushered them back to their spot.

"Neville says it's fine!" Ginny heard her whisper to them.

"You'll believe anything he says – you've got a _crush_."

"I haven't!"

"Have to."

"Well, he's much smarted than _you_ lot, so I believe him!"

Ginny turned back to the Ravenclaws, smiling a little. She made a mental note to tell Neville he was becoming soemthing of a celebrity.

"What are you doing here?" Neville asked the group.

Anthony thrust a copy of The Quibbler into Ginny's hands.

"Daddy sent that to me," Luna said, proudly. "He was clever enough to sneak it past all the screenings."

"Luna," said Ginny, seriously, flipping through the pages "you could get in real trouble for having this."

"Yes, because otherwise she's always on her best behaviour," Michael said, sarcastically. "Just read it."

Ginny quickly scanned the cover, and eagerly flipped to the page she knew they must be talking about.

"Potterwatch?" she muttered, reading quickly.

"Yes," Luna explained, "it's a radio programme for Harry Potter supporters."

Neville took The Quibbler from Ginny. "You're dad's going to get in real trouble for printing this."

"Oh no, not Daddy," she said confidently.

"We're getting off track," Padma interrupted.

"With what?" Ginny asked.

Luna held out a wireless she'd been holding. "We need your help."

* * *

The students in the Slytherin common room were up late, too.

Draco sighed, finally shutting his copy of _Wizards, Creatures, and Muggles: The Ethics Involved With Dealing With Lesser Beings._

"Are you finished?" asked Pansy hopefully, looking up from her piece of parchment, which was half covered in sentences she had written, crossed out, and rewritten.

"No," Draco muttered, "but I'm too tired to think anymore."

"I'm finished," Crabbed said, setting his quill down.

"Really?" laughed Millicent Bulstrode. "_You_ actually finished an essay on time?"

Crabbe scowled at her. "Yeah. I like this stuff."

Theodore Nott stretched his legs out under the table he was sitting at and yawned. "This essay is impossible. It's all subjective, isn't it? But if you don't put what Professor Carrow wants, you're bound to end up failing."

Goyle shook his head. "What's suggestive about it?"

"_Subjective_," Nott corrected him.

"Whatever. It's not that."

Nott raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"Well," Goyle began, clearly a little uncomfortable that everyone was watching him, "it's like the book says, isn't it? It's only right that wizards rise up over the Muggles because they were the ones what drove us into hiding." His confidence grew as he saw Pansy and Crabbe nodding along with him. "Yeah, they brought it on themselves. They used to hunt _us_ down and kill _us_ – "

"They _tried_ to," Nott pointed out. "We know it didn't work."

Goyle shrugged. "They meant to, which is just as bad. Like the book says – _intent_."

"But _did_ they drive us into hiding?" Nott leaned forward in his seat, clearly enjoying the debate. "Wasn't that our choice?"

"Why would we want to live openly among people who hated us?" Pansy asked. "Who wants to be constantly on their guard?"

"The Order of the Phoenix seems to," Crabbe pointed out, and even Nott had to laugh.

"But," Nott went on, "did we try to educate them? They were afraid because they were ignorant."

"They were afraid because they're stinking, filthy animals," Goyle objected.

Nott shook his head. "That's the problem – people are always letting their emotions get in the way of their reason."

"Look," said Crabbe, "it don't matter. We have magic, they don't. Makes us better, don't it? There's an order, a…" He opened his textbook and flipped through a couple of pages until he found the spot he wanted. "'_There's a natural order that needs to be restored. Magic is the crowning glory of this hierarchy and to submit to the will of lesser beings (i.e. to suppress magic in the presence of Muggles) is unnatural and therefore unhealthy, as well as being perverse. It is in the best interest of all to restore the balance of power to the way nature intended_. '"

Nott shook his head. "According to _that_, it'd be good for the Muggles to live the way we told them."

"It would be," Millicent said. "You heard Crabbe – it's only natural."

"Just because they don't have magic? Isn't like that saying Draco is better than me because he has blue eyes?"

"Magic is different," Draco said, finally joining the conversation. "Magic is…"

"The crowning glory of the hierarchy?" Nott asked, the corner of his lips pulling up into a grin.

"Well… _yeah_."

"We're off topic," Pansy pointed out, "the essay is supposed to be about if we should come out of hiding."

Goyle nodded. "Yeah. It's like I said – Muggles drove us into hiding, and now it's only right that we drive them out of our way to come back out."

"Oh, but those Muggles lives hundreds of years ago!" Nott cried, frustrated that no one seemed to be on his side. "If we took the time to educate _these_ Muggles, then maybe – "

"Still the Muggles' fault," interrupted Goyle. "Still their fault, and we need to make it right. Restore the natural order."

Draco looked from Goyle to Nott. "Can we blame the son for the sins of the father?" he asked. It was a moment before anyone realized that he actually wanted to know.

* * *

They needed a password.

But they didn't have one.

Lavender, Parvati, and Seamus had been woken up, the younger Gryffindors had been sent away, and the whole group sat around the wireless.

"It would be something hard…" Michael mused. "Something the Death Eaters would never guess."

"And you think it's something to do with Gryffindor?" Seamus asked.

Luna nodded. "In the article, it hinted that the host used to be in this House."

"And that's why you broke into our common room in the middle of the night?"

"Yup," Luna grinned.

"Wonderful."

Neville didn't miss Seamus' sarcasm. "Just try and be helpful," he whispered, warningly.

"Where was Godric Gryffindor born?" Lavender asked, still pondering what the Gryffindor-related password could be.

Padma rolled her eyes. "_Godric's Hollow_ – how can you not know that?"

"We can't all be bookworms or there'd be no one left for you to feel smarter than," Lavender said, sticking out her tongue.

"Will you two shut up?" Ginny hissed. "Try it, Luna."

Luna tapped her wand on the wireless and cried "Godric's Hollow!"

Static.

"Too easy," sighed Anthony.

"I just wish we had some sort of clue…" Ginny muttered. "Something we've forgotten about… overlooked…" Her eyes widened suddenly.

"What?" Neville cried, worried that something was wrong.

"The letter!" Ginny squealed. "Fred and George – _Leen_ on! Lee! – Go lions! Luna, the password is _lions_!"

Luna tapped the wireless again. "Lions!" she cried.

A warm, familiar voice came through the static. "As always, thank you for contributing, Royal."

"That's Lee!" cried Anthony. "How did you know?"

The rest of the group shushed him and leaned in closer to listen.

"That's the end of the show for tonight. If you want more news, be sure to come back in two days. The password will be 'Black'. There may not be much new information out now, but that doesn't mean Harry Potter isn't still out there. And Harry – if you're listening – just know that you still have people behind you. And as for the rest of you, don't give up. Together, we're stronger than we realize."

There was more static, then Luna snapped the wireless off.

"We missed it!" Parvati lamented.

"It's all right," said Neville, smiling. "Harry's all right, they don't have him." He beamed around at the others. "Don't you see? They don't have him! He's fighting, just like we're fighting!"

"Fighting?" repeated Seamus, raising an eyebrow. "It never said he was fighting. Hiding, more like."

"_He's fighting_," said Ginny fiercely, before Neville could say anything.

"If he's fighting," said Anthony gently, wanting to ask his question, but fully aware of Ginny's temper, "wouldn't we have heard something about it?"

"Not if he's being smart," answered Ginny. "And Hermione's with him," she added, "so they _are_ being smart."

"Being smart would mean _hiding_ – for Hermione, too!" cried Seamus.

Parvati sighed. "Let's not fight, guys. Not after this good news."

Luna nodded. "I agree. We can spoil it with speculation tomorrow."

"What's there to speculate about?" Seamus snapped. "Nothing's changed. Harry is still hiding, we're still stuck here, and You-Know-Who is still in charge."

Neville looked like Seamus had just struck him. "You'll see," he said quietly, "you'll see when they come back."

"Come back?" Seamus laughed. "You think they're _coming back_?"

"Harry would never leave Hogwarts like this! He'll come back and we'll overthrow Snape and the Carrows – we'll have a revolution."

Seamus stood up. "Look, I like Harry as much as you, Nev, but think about it. Would Harry risk getting killed to save his school?"

"Oh yes," spat Ginny sarcastically, "because he's the type to _avoid_ danger."

"Then why isn't he back _now_?" Seamus demanded.

"He's busy fighting!" cried Neville.

"They _why_," Seamus cried back, jabbing his finger toward the wireless, "haven't we _heard_ about it?"

"Maybe the Ministry is trying to keep it quiet?" Padma offered timidly, wanting to be part of the conversation, but not the fight.

Seamus opened his mouth to say something, but Parvati jumped up next to him. "Come on," she said, "time for bed."

Seamus shrugged her away from him. "You've got to face reality sometime, Nev. This is David and Goliath."

"Who?" Neville asked.

"Never mind," Seamus sighed, frustrated.

Neville stood up, too. He didn't yell, but his eyes shone with anger and conviction. "At least I've still got hope. At least I haven't given in."

"_False hope_ isn't hope," Seamus spat.

"Come on," Parvati persisted, pulling Seamus' wrist. "Let's _go_."

"Maybe this will be your miracle," Neville said, quietly. "Maybe we're hoping for the same thing, just in different ways."

"Miracles?" Michael asked, looking confused from Neville to Seamus.

Seamus glared angrily at Neville, as if he had just spilled some horrible secret. "Wake up, guys," he muttered, before letting himself he dragged up to the dormitories by Parvati, Lavender following close behind.

There was a moment of heavy silence before Michael jumped to his feet. "Always fun to have a bit of excitement before bed," he grinned.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You always were a prat."

"And _you_ always were snippy."

"Enough," sighed Padma. "We need to get going." The other Ravenclaws nodded and stood up, Anthony grabbing the wireless.

They began to recast their Disillusionment Charms as Ginny went to open the portrait hole for them, but Luna lagged behind.

She walked up to Neville, who was still standing, staring at where Seamus had disappeared up the stairs. "He's always so negative," Neville muttered, more to himself then to Luna.

"I expect he's just scared. Scared and sad."

Neville turned to her. "You don't think it's false hope, do you? Do you think Harry will come back?"

"Oh, I have no idea if he will," Luna answered causally. "But I _do_ have hope, and I hope it's not false hope."

"How do you know?"

Luna grabbed Neville's hand and smiled up at him. "Because hope means believing in something _so much_ that it has to be true. I have hope in you and Ginny and me and the DA and what we can do. I have hope because we're still fighting."

"_Luna_," someone called from near the portrait hole, "let's go!"

Luna squeezed Neville hand, and then raced off to follow her fellow Ravenclaws.

Ginny turned to Neville in the now-empty common room. "All right," she said. "Now that _that's_ over with, we can finish talking about the Sword."

* * *

**AN:** Wow guys! Than you SO MUCH for all the reviews! Seriously, they always make my day. You guys are offically my favourite people on the internet! :P  
Now, I have a question for you all. I was going through all the different things I wanted to write about in this story and I realized there was quite a lot. My question is: would you rater I stick to the main events that happened in DH, or do you mind me creating these little storylines, even if it means this fic might get pretty long? And I'm sorry that my updates are so few and far between - life is very busy!  
Again, thank you all _so much _for reading!


	10. Muggle Studies

**Muggle Studies**

_"There are no such things as 'Muggleborns'. These filthy, pilfering liars have found away to steal our magic away from us and use it for themselves."_

Neville was very nearly late to Muggle Studies the next day. He made his way as quietly as he could for a seat near the back, hoping not to be noticed. A few rows ahead of him, he saw an empty on Seamus's right, who was sitting next to Ernie MacMillan on his other side. For a moment, Neville considered sitting beside him, but decided against it. Last night, after Seamus had stormed off, Neville had stayed up with Ginny for a while, listening to her increasingly risky plans to steal the Sword of Gryffindor. He had hoped that Seamus would have the sense to at least pretend to be asleep when Neville came up, so they wouldn't have to talk. He had.

Neville crept down the isle between the desks (many of which were left empty) and quickly looked away when he saw Hannah Abbott. He had been avoiding her since the night she had fixed up his arm, though he wasn't exactly sure why. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her notice him and try to wave him over. He sped away and flew into the nearest empty seat. He couldn't remember when picking a chair had been so confusing.

Alecto Carrow looked up from the parchment she was stacking on her desk. "Longbottom," she said curtly, "you haven't turned in your essay."

It wasn't a question, so Neville didn't say anything.

Alecto narrowed her eyes. "Well, where is it?"

"I haven't done it."

"Why _not_?" Alecto snapped.

Neville took a deep breath to try and stop himself from shaking. He was hoping she wouldn't have noticed not having his essay, or maybe just dock him the marks for it. But nothing, it seemed, got past Alecto. "Because," Neville answered, as steadily as he could, "I haven't got the textbook."

Alecto gave a short, snortting laugh. "And you couldn't figure out how to _borrow_ one?"

Neville glared at her. "Sorry," he went on strongly, "I guess I mispoke." Suddenly, he was so angry he forgot about everyone's eyes on him, forgot about the punishment that inevitably awaited him, forgot that a moment ago he had been scared at all. All he could think about was Alecto's terrible snort, about all those essays the students were forced to write, about how everything was so _wrong_ and no one was doing anything to stop it. "What I should have said," Neville went on "was 'I refuse to read that propaganda you give to us'. Better?"

"You insolent, sniveling little boy," Alecto hissed through clenched, yellowing teeth.

The students seemed to tense up, staring down at their desks, silently hoping none of Alecto's rage would be directed at them.

"What makes you think you can talk to a professor like that?" she demanded

"I can disagree, can't I?" Neville asked.

"No! You can't!" Alecto shouted.

"Well, that hardly seems fair," came a voice from somewhere on Neville's left. He turned and saw Susan Bones, her light red hair pulled back into a neat plait, her face somehow both defiant and afraid.

"Oh, it doesn't?" Alect sang, with mock concern. She turned back to Neville, her hands pressed to her heart. "Now, my dear boy, I'll be fair. Why don't you tell sweet ol' Professor Carrow what's troubling you?"

Neville clenched his jaw. "Trust me, we'd be here all day if I had to make a list."

A few students had the nerve to laugh. Neville saw that Seamus didn't.

"And what's wrong with my textbook, boy?" Alecto went on, dropping her act.

"It just doesn't make sense, does it?" Neville asked, leaning forward. "How can Muggles be 'lesser beings' when our minds work the same way?"

Alecto looked disgusted, as if Neville had just told her she shared half her DNA with a tape worm. "Our _minds _work the same way?" she repeated. "Then tell me - why do we have magic and they don't?"

"I-I'm not sure, but..." Neville began.

"Of course you're not! But I _am _sure because you're the student and I'm the teacher and I know better!"

"But then what about Muggleborns?" Neville protested. "If two Muggles can make a witch or wizard, doesn't that mean there's nothing all that different about us?"

"There are no such things as 'Muggleborns'," said Alecto sternly, "which you would _know_ if you had read the text book. These filthy, pilfering liars have found away to steal our magic away from us and use it for themselves."

"Steal away magic?" said Neville, confused. He furrowed his brow, thinking hard. "But... but how could you _steal_ magic? Magic is inside you."

"You think _I _know how to steal magic? Of course _I _don't, I'm not a mudblood!"

"Don't say that word."

"I'll say what I like. Mudbloods are thieves - the whole lot of them. They steal away witchs' and wizards' wands and - "

"Having a wand doesn't make someone magic!" Neville cried. "Wands only help you focus your own magic, there's nothing really magical about them!"

"Want to debate wandlore, do you? Well, this isn't the class!" Alecto snapped, slamming her hand down on her desk.

Parvati, who sat in the row just ahead of Neville, raised her hand. "Then what about Squibs? If magic can be stolen, why wouldn't Squibs steal it?"

Neville glanced around at his classmates as she spoke. Now, instead of hunching over, staring at their hands, they were sitting straight up in their chairs, looking at Alecto as if daring her to ask them a question.

"You'd know this if you did the reading I gave you," said Alecto, picking up a copy of _Wizards, Creatures, and Muggles: The Ethics Involved With Dealing With Lesser Beings_ and shaking it at the class.

"I did read it," said Parvati. "It said that Squibs don't steal magic because it's unethical. But are all Squibs ethical people? Wouldn't _some _try to steal it?"

Alecto slammed the book down. "I don't know, I - "

"And," piped up Ernie MacMillian, "what about the fact that a witch a wizard can have a child without magic? It's the same as what Neville was saying - there can't be inherently _different_ about us if each can produce the other."

"Clearly none of you have read the chapter about the Unborn Magical Thieving Theory."

"I did," said Hannah, sitting next to Susan. "The theory says that Muggleborns steal magic from unborn witches and wizards, making them Squibs."

"So do you see?" cried Alecto. "You see how disgusting Muggles are - stealing from defenseless, unborn children!"

"Yeah, much less disgusting then torturing defenseless students," Neville said.

Alecto seemed to snarl out her next works. "I've had just about _enough_ of - "

"But," Hannah went on, distracting her from her inevitable tirade against Neville, "the theory has never been proven, so we can't take it as fact."

"Yes you can."

"Has anyone ever thought to talk to a wandmaker?" Seamus asked. "Wands choose their owners, don't they? They'd never choose someone without magic, but Muggleborns get wands all the time, don't they?"

Alecto rolled her eyes. "Pay attention, Finiginn! I've already explained how mudbloods steal magic."

"You haven't explained it at all," Zacharius Smith pointed out.

"You really expect us to believe that a bunch of _eleven year old Muggles_ figured out how to steal magic from unborn wizards?" Seamus asked incredulously. "Even when fully fledged witches and wizards can't?"

"Muggles don't know anything about magic, so how could they even think to steal it?" Neville demanded.

"And what about," Lavender put in, "the list Porfessor McGonagall told us about? You know, the one that keeps track of all the new magical births, so they know who to send letters to?"

"What about it?" snapped Alecto, growing more and more impatient and angry as the conversation went on.

"Well," said Lavender with a shrug, "how could it pick up the Muggleborns without magic?"

Alecto shook her head. "What are you blithering about you idiot-girl?"

Parvati narrowed her eyes menacingly. "She's right, you know. How _could _that list know that Muggleborns are magic right when they're born if they have to take magic first? Do you mean to tell us that the _unborn steal magic from the unborn_?"

"I - we - it..." Alecto spluttered.

The class erupted into conversation. Ernie McMallin started scribbling notes down. "What was that she said about the list?" he asked Seamus. "Tell me again - I want to send this to the Minister!"

"Enough!" cried Alecto, and the room went silent. "_Longbottom_," she hissed, breathing heavily. "I still want your essay."

"I won't write it."

She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, as if summoning all her patience to her. "Listen, boy," she said, opening her eyes. "You come from an old, pureblood family, and I respect that, but - "

"You respect me because I pureblood?" Neville scoffed. "There's no such thing as pureblood!"

"_There is_!" cried Alecto, looking almost deranged.

"How can there be? There are so few of witches and wizards compared to the entire population, it'd be impossible to keep marrying each other! Somewhere along the line every family has to have Muggle blood, which is no different than - "

"You filthy little _liar_!" Alecto cried, her eyes wide and mad.

"Well, how much Muggle blood and you and your brother got?"

In an instant, Alecto had her wand and pointed it a Neville. A brilliant jet of light flew across the room and Neville felt something hot and sharp on the face. He raised his hand and gingerly touched the fresh slash on his cheek.

Seamus jumped out of his seat. "You can't do that!"

"Put him right!" Hannah cried. "Fix his cheek, I know you can!"

Alecto held her wand out in front of her. "I suggest you take your seat, Finiginn," she said in a low voice. "There's not gonna be any more of this, got it? Now, I forgive you all - you're just kids who haven't been taught properly. So here's what's gonna happen. Tonight, after dinner, you're all to comeback here. We'll read the textbook together - no discussion, just reading. Whoever wrote this is much smarter than you lot or you'd all have books out, wouldn't you? But, seeing as you don't, we're gonna listen to the author. Everyone will be here, no excuses." Her eyes flashed threateningly and with her wand still held out at them, the class could guess what was to happen to them if they skipped this detention. "Everyone except _you_, that is, Longbottom."

Neville looked back up to the front of the class as he tried to staunch the bleeding with the sleeve of his robe.

"You'll be doing something different," Alecto went on. "You'll be doing something real different. Now get up to the Hospital Wing and don't think of showing your face in my class until you've handed me that essay!"

Neville stood up, his heart racing, his cheek stinging, anger coursing through him. He opened the door, but quickly turned around when he heard Alecto scream.

"Who did it? Which one of you blood traitor brats _did it_?"

Each student sat neatly in his or her seats, looking politely bewildered at the scene in front of them. No one spoke.

"_Who did it_?" Alecto shrieked.

Neville grinned and walked out of the classroom. The entire stack of essays was on fire.


	11. The Sword of Gryffindor

**The Sword of Gryffindor**

_"Our hands are very different. But our life lines nearly match."_

Ginny hurried through the courtyard, shivering a little despite her long cloak and scarf. Luna and Neville sat on a bench nearby, talking in quietly, their own cloaks turned up against the wind.

"I think you ought to just talk to her," Luna was saying.

"I can't!" Neville whispered. "You don't understand, I get all –"

Ginny stopped abruptly in front of them. Luna and Neville looked up at her, startled. Neville's face seemed a little pink, but Ginny figured it must have been the wind. "Whatever you're talking about, shut up," she announced, "because what I'm about to say is more important."

"Oh," Luna began earnestly, "but Neville was just – "

"You heard her," Neville said quickly, "_shut up_."

Ginny ignored them. "I've figured it out!" she cried.

"Figured what out?" Luna asked.

Ginny sat herself between Neville and Luna on the bench. "The end of the plan," she whispered, as the other two leaned in to hear her over the wind. "I figured out what to do with it."

Neville's eyes widened. "You mean the sw – !"

"_Shhh_!" Ginny hissed. "Yes, that's what I mean."

Ginny, Neville, and Luna had been trying to figure out how to get the Sword of Gryffindor from Snape's office for days, but it was proving harder than they had anticipated. Luna had followed Amycus Carrow around for nearly a week, hoping to catch him saying the password that would let them into the headmaster's office. But it was Neville who heard it when he stopped near the office to tie his shoe – Professor McGonagall had strode up to the two gargoyles, confidently said "_vipera_" and walked in.

The plan was to have Luna cast Disillusionment Charms over the three of them and sneak into the office at night. Then – the tricky part – Ginny was to smash the case at the exact moment Luna cast a Silencing Charm, so they wouldn't be heard, and the three of them were to leave with the Sword.

The only problem was what they were supposed to do with the Sword once they had it. It was too dangerous to keep it hidden in the school and Ginny was adamant that it had to get to Harry, but with the school so heavily guarded and Dementors blocking every secret passageway, this seemed impossible.

"Well?" Luna prompted, "what are we supposed to do with it?"

Ginny beamed at them. "We give it to Dobby."

"Who?" Luna asked.

Neville thought for a moment. "Isn't he a House Elf?"

"Yes," Ginny explained, "he's an Elf that works here in the kitchens, and he's completely devoted to Harry. He'll bring the Sword to him!"

Luna shook her head. "Elves can't get out of the school any more than we can."

"They can! They can Apparate inside the grounds."

"Really?" Luna asked, interestedly.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, Hermione talked my ear off about it a few years ago. Now I wish I'd listened better, there might be tons the Elves could help us with."

Neville thought for a moment. "So, we take the Sword down to Dobby and he'll bring it Harry?"

"Exactly."

"But Ernie told me that there were Dementors guarding the entrance to the kitchens. I guess it's near the Hufflepuff common room because he says he has to pass them every time he goes there."

Luna sighed. "I'm sorry it won't work. It was a very good plan."

"Patronuses," Ginny said, confidently. "We'll just cast Patronuses."

"We've been over this," Neville answered. "Patronuses can be _seen_. If we cast them, anyone who sees them will know where we are."

"So we just have to make sure no one sees us," countered Ginny, as if this were something incredibly simple that Neville had just overlooked.

"Ginny," said Neville seriously, leaning closer to her, "if we get caught with that Sword, do you have any idea what they'll do to us?"

"And since when has that stopped us? We all heard about your Muggle Studies class debate," she grinned. "You didn't seem so nervous then."

"Oh, I expect that's been blown out of proportion," said Luna. "I've heard so many rumours about it – you really didn't have a duel, did you?"

"Of course not," said Neville quickly. "But that was just me then…" He looked from Ginny to Luna, then down at his feet.

Ginny put her arm around him. "Oh Neville," she smiled. "You're too noble for your own good, do you know that?" Luna looked confused. Ginny turned to her. "Neville here isn't worried about getting _himself_ in trouble, he's worried about _us_," she explained.

"Look what happened last time!" Neville cried. "They used the Cruciatus Curse on Luna!"

"I think it would have been worse if a professor had done it," Luna said, fairly. "They were only students – and Zambini wasn't particularly good at it."

"It didn't exactly seem like it _tickled_," Neville said, angry that the two girls didn't seem to be taking him seriously.

"We know what we're doing," Ginny said, kindly, her arm still around Neville.

"I know," he sighed. "It's just..."

"Scary," Luna finished for him.

Ginny wrapped her other arm around Luna. "But what's life without a little risk?" she grinned. "And I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather do a little risking with than you two."

Neville couldn't help but smile. "Tonight, then?"

That old, mischievous grin came back to Ginny. "Tonight!"

* * *

_They were lying in the forest were they had spent so much time as children. The light was low and pale. It filtered through the leaves that made a softly swaying roof, and seemed streaked with green and gold._

_"How old are we this time, Sev?"_

_"Fifteen, I think."_

_They lay on their backs. Snape, his arms draped over his chest, looked over at her. Her arms were behind her head, her red hair spread out beneath her, like a pillow made of liquid fire and gold. She looked up at the little patches of the sky that could just been seen through the tops of the trees._

_Snape willed himself not to blink. He tried to memorize everything about this moment – the way her chest gently rose and fell, the way the light made her eyes shine – he tried to memorize everything about Lily._

_"Sev?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Why do you still live on Spinner's End?"_

_Snape was startled by the question. "Well… why move? The house is fine."_

_Lily looked over at him. "But think of all the ghosts that haunt you there."_

_"Ghosts haunt me everywhere." He looked at her meaningfully, as if pointing out she was proof._

_Lily seemed to understand and looked back up at the trees again. "You don't have any happy memories there," she went on. "How can you ever move on if you're still there?"_

_Snape sighed. "Look, the house is far away from the Wizarding World and the Muggles there never bother me. I can be alone there."_

_"But how can you ever get better?" Lily insisted._

_"'Getting better' is the last thing on my mind right now."_

_Lily sat up and Snape copied her. She began to pull up tufts of grass at her feet and Snape watched her, transfixed. "That's true," she sighed after a moment, "you do have a lot to think about." She looked up at him. "But I'm sure Dumbledore must –"_

_"_Dumbledore_," Snape spat. "He doesn't know what he's doing to me."_

_"I think he does," said Lily softly._

_"_His_ son, Lily!" Snape cried. "Do you have any idea what it's like for me, risking everything for _his_ son?"_

_"_My_ son, Severus."_

_Snape lowered his head. "You're right," he sighed. "You're always right, even now."_

_"Then why is it that you never listen to me?" Lily teased. Snape looked up, relived to see that she wasn't upset with him. But she had always been kind, always been forgiving, always been wonderful, always been perfect. "Have you even considered what I said about Charity Burbage?" she went on._

_"No."_

_"But she's so sweet and she seemed to really –"_

_"She's dead," he said sharply. "I've already told you that."_

_Lily looked down and pulled at the grass again. "Oh yeah. I guess I forgot. I guess I didn't want to remember."_

_Snape sighed. "It would never have worked, anyway."_

_Lily looked back up. "Why not?"_

_Snape met her eyes. "You know why not."_

_"Oh Sev, still? After all this time?"_

_"Always, Lily. It's like I told you – always."_

_Lily looked back at him for a long moment, her brow contracted, her eyes sad. Finally, she moved over and sat beside him, linking her arm through his and resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm sorry I never fell in love with you."_

_Snape rested his head on her's, her hair soft against his cheek. He inhaled, deeply. "I'm sorry about that, too."_

_Lily took his hand in both of her's and turned it up, looking at his palm. She ran her finger along the lines and creases, thinking hard about something. "You know," she said at last, "our hands are very different. But our life lines nearly match."_

_"I didn't know you believed in palmistry."_

_"I guess I don't. I just thought it was interesting." She closed her hand over his and they sat there for a moment._

_"Lily?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Would you say my name?"_

_"Severus. Severus."_

_"I miss that."_

_Lily moved her head and looked at him. An absolute war waged inside of Snape – he wished she were just a little closer, he wished she was much further away. "Of all the people in the world," he said after a moment, still looking at her, "did it have to be him?"_

_"People change."_

_"No they don't."_

_Lily raised an eyebrow, taking her arm out from his. "How can you sit there tell me differently when you're living proof?"_

_"I changed for _you_," he pointed out._

_"You would have always come around in the end, I think."_

_"But," he said desperately, "if I had just come around sooner, maybe you –"_

_"Maybe, maybe not," she interrupted. "We can't change the past, so there's no point in whining about what we could have done. But we can change the future and that's what we have to live for. You get what I never did – a chance to change things."_

_"Lily, I –"_

_She shook her head. "Don't waste your time wallowing in regrets, Sev, you know that's not what I want."_

_"I know," murmured Snape._

_"You can stop Voldemort," she went on, "you can protect my son, you can help these kids as their headmaster, headmaster, headmaster…"_

_Snape narrowed his eyes, confused._

_"Lily?"_

_"Headmaster…headmaster…headmaster…"_

"Headmaster! Headmaster!"

Snape woke up.

* * *

Snape, fully robed and horribly irritable, strode out into his office. "There had better be a good reason you saw fit to wake me in the middle of the night."

"I'm sorry Headmaster," Amycus blithered, "but that Squib is certain he heard voices –"

Snape ignored him. "Who else has been in here?" he demanded.

"I don't… no one, I think. That is…" Amycus looked over to where Snape was staring. The glass that had held the Sword of Gryffindor was shattered and the Sword was gone. "The Sword!" Amycus gasped. "Someone took the –"

"Yes, I think that's more than obvious."

Amycus stared stupidly at the shards of glass. Finally he seemed to get a hold of himself and marched over to the portrait of Phineas Nigellus. "Wake up!" he cried. "Who did it – what did you see?"

"Amycus," said Snape loudly, as Phineas stirred in his portrait, clearly angry at being snapped at. "You said Mr. Filch heard voices?"

"Yes, but –"

"Then I suggest you find out who is out of bed."

"I – er – yes, Headmaster," said Amycus quickly. As he hurried out of the office, Snape could hear him calling for Filch.

Snape looked over at Phineas's portrait. "You saw who did it, I assume?"

"Not exactly. I heard them."

"And who did you hear?"

"I'm not sure," Phineas sighed, "but I think we can all hazard a guess. It should hardly come as a surprise."

* * *

Snape heard them blundering down the staircase, whispering to each other, before he turned the corner.

_"Not yet, they're still looking around."_

_"No, Carrow is no where near the kitchens now."_

He stopped and hid there for a moment, his wand grasped tightly in his hand.

_"Are you sure? I saw Mrs. Norris back there and –"_

Finally, Snape stepped out and stood at the bottom of the staircase, holding his wand firmly out in front of him. There was no one there. He had to hand it to them – he wouldn't have thought they could pull off a Disillusionment Charm this well. "_Homenum Revelio_."

The air in front of him seemed to shiver for a moment. People materialized halfway down the staircase, frozen almost comically in mid-run.

Snape – like everyone – knew some things are too good to be true. But there she was – just like his dreams, just like when they were young.

"_Lily_?"

"Who?"

Snape blinked, came to his senses, and scowled, appalled at his mistake. "Weasley," he spat through clenched teeth. "And Longbottom and Lovegood, _of course_."

The three of them stood close together, each of them holding onto their own wands. They looked absolutely petrified. In her left hand, Ginny held the Sword.

"Give that to me," Snape ordered, calmly.

It took Ginny a moment to find her voice. Finally, she managed to stammer, "it H-Harry's."

"Is it? I was under the impression that it belonged to the school, of which I am in charge."

"D-Dumbled-dore left it to Harry."

Snape held out his wandless hand, impatiently. "Give it to me."

Ginny took a step back, moving up a stair. Neville moved beside her, evidently trying to seem confident, but nonetheless staring at Snape's shoulder, unable to meet his eye.

"I have no time for this," Snape spat, "and unless you want to start you detention _tonight_, I suggest you do as I say and _give me that sword_."

"If we do," asked Luna, moving down a step, "will you - ?"

Snape narrowed his black eyes at her. "You are really in no position to bargain. Give it to me now."

Luna thought for a moment, then she took a few steps up to Ginny and gasped the hilt of the Sword. Ginny did not let go. "It's _Harry's_," she whispered fiercely. She tried to blink back the angry, hot tears that were gathering in her eyes. "He _needs_ it."

Luna placed her free hand on Ginny's shoulder. "We got caught. We can't take it now."

"But –"

Luna shook her head. "I'm sure Harry wouldn't want you to get into any more trouble. He caught us, Ginny."

Ginny looked pleadingly at Neville. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ginny," he murmured. "But Luna's right – the longer we keep it form him, the more he'll –"

"This is all very touching," Snape called, his wand still aimed at them, "but I will not stand here any longer. Give me the Sword or I will _take _it."

Luna gently pulled the Sword away from Ginny, walked down the staircase and handed it to Snape. Ginny seemed to deflate somehow and Neville put his arm around her.

Luna stood in front of Snape for a moment, blinking thoughtfully. Finally, she asked, "Who is Lily?"

Snape was so jarred by the question, that for a moment he didn't say anything at all. "_Get – to – bed_," he snarled, his voice low and threatening.

None of them were foolish enough not to listen. They scrambled up the staircase and out of sight. Sword heavy in his hand, Snape lowered his wand and turned, headed back for his office. Ghostly voices seemed to echo through his mind and he walked down the corridor:

_"She's dead. I've already told you that."_

_"Oh yeah. I guess I forgot. I guess I didn't want to remember."_


	12. The Forbidden Forest

**The Forbidden Forest**

_"I'm not scared. I'm with you three."_

The Carrows stood in Snape's office, in front of his desk. Snape sat behind it, his fingers pressed together thoughtfully in front of his thin, white lips.

"Are you sure about this, Headmaster?" Amycus asked, nervously. "I mean, considerin' what they did…"

"Would I make a decision I wasn't sure about?" Snape asked. His voice was calm and even. But even for all its silkiness and ease, it was still terrifying, like a deep, black ocean – breathtaking to behold but terrible when forced to think about what may lie beneath.

"No, Headmaster," Amycus said quickly. "No, you wouldn't. It's just, the Forest doesn't seem –"

"And finally you've managed to come to my point," Snape said, grinning slyly. "What the Forest _seems_ like."

"I – er- uh – I don't follow."

"I didn't expect you to. You see, I've told Longbottom, Lovegood, and Weasley that their punishment is to look out for werewolves in the Forbidden Forest. I explained all about the 'new information' we've acquired about Fenrir Grayback being nearby and his love for the young. They believe they're on guard duty."

"But," Alecto piped up, "Grayback's got a gang of Snatchers. He's rounding up Mudbloods and truants; he's not anywhere near –"

Snape pressed his fingers to his temples, closing his eyes. "Have you not been paying attention, Carrow? _They_ don't know where Grayback is. The _fear_ of it is what we're aiming for and _fear_ is what we're going to get."

"I'd say _pain_ works a fair bit better than fear," Amycus said, nodding his head.

"Yes," Snape sighed, "and that has worked out brilliantly for the both of you before, has it? As I recall, you tortured Miss Lovegood, yet here we are again, discussing her punishment."

"We could do it better this time," Alecto insisted. "Longer and worse. And on all three of 'em. I've love to have my wand over Longbottom."

"No," said Snape, shortly. "You're ineptitude had led me to make these sorts of decisions for you. I am not impressed. I left you two in charge of punishment so as not to be bothered with this sort of thing. Yet here we all are."

The Carrows seemed to shrink before him.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Professor McGonagall strode powerfully into the room, Flitwick bonding along in her wake.

"Severus, as the Head of Weasley and Longbottm's House, I would have appreciated being told that their punishment was being decided."

"Discipline is now beyond the control of the Heads of Houses," Snape said, unfazed.

"We still ought to have a say!" squeaked Flitwick. "Luna Lovegood has no previous record of misbehavior prior to this –"

"No prior record? May I remind you of the fiasco two years ago?" Snape asked, raising and eyebrow.

"You say fiasco, I say heroic undertaking!" cried McGonagall.

"Which is _exactly_ why you will not be deciding their fates," Snape said, lazily.

"I will not let you torture them again," she snarled, her eyes narrowed.

"Nor I!" cried Flitwick.

"Good," Snape said, a false smile firmly in place. "Then we are in agreement. Your three _heroic undertakers_ will not be left to the Carrows. I have them patrolling the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid."

"The F-Forest?" stammered McGonagall. "With Hagrid?"

"Yes. Have you any objections?"

Flitwick and McGonagall exchanged looks. "What are you leaving out?" Flitwick demanded, eyeing Snape suspiciously.

"Nothing," he shrugged. "So unless you feel this unfair…?"

McGonagall took three long, sure steps forward, arriving just in front of the ornate desk. "I feel much of what is going on here to be _unfair_," she spat, "to say the very least."

"If you don't agree with my methods," Snape said slowly, "feel free to leave you post. I do have the means to replace you."

"Which is exactly why I am not going anywhere. I'm sure I can only imagine the scum you would conjure up to teach here."

"Then," Snape said, coolly, "I don't think there is anything left to say. The detention will be tonight."

"Tonight?" cried Alecto. "Headmaster, Longbottom owes _me_ a detention tonight."

"I forgot – how could I let his failure to complete an assignment come before him breaking into my office in the dead of night, stealing an priceless historical artifact with the intention, no doubt, of bringing it to a wanted criminal? How foolish of me."

Alecto chewed her lip for a moment, thinking. "But he was so _rude_, Headmaster."

Snape turned away from her. "All other detentions the three of them have acquired will be served at a later dater. This takes precedent."

Snape looked a round at the room at large. "Anything else?" he asked, raising his hands to them, inviting them to speak.

"They will just be patrolling the Forest?" Flitwick asked. "And they'll be back before morning? They still have classes, you know."

"It will only be for a few hours. I assure you they will be in bed at a decent hour."

"Headmaster," Amycus said, "maybe we can do both? They can do this Forest thing and then we could –"

"_No_."

Amycus just caught a grin tugging at McGonagall's lips after he had cowered away from Snape. He hung back, eyeing her angrily, but said nothing.

Snape turned to McGonagall. He stared at her, waiting for her to object, to lecture him, to demand reforms. But it occurred to him that she was, after all, an intelligent woman. Though her glare was cold and hard enough to piece him in an uncomfortably chilling way, she would not make a scene. Her job here was too important. And he would not goad her into an argument. Whether she ever knew it or not, her job was important to him, too.

After a long, icily silent moment, McGonagall spun on her heal, robes swirling around her ankles, and marched out of the office. Flitwick followed her and the Carrows, seeing Snape go back to reading the papers covering his desk, left as well.

"Well done," came Dumbledore's soft voice from behind him once the room was empty.

* * *

Hagrid had been felt relief before – he had been relieved when Dumbledore told him he could stay and work at Hogwarts, when he and Grawp had made it back to the Forest without being seen, when Harry had out flown that Hungarian Horntail three years ago – but he could hardly remember feeling as relieved as he did now.

When he heard about what Neville, Ginny, and Luna had tried to do, he figured it was there end; they would invent new, horrible Curses to punish them before carting them off the Azkaban and the Dementors.

But by some miracle, they were here, with him. The Forbidden Forest was by no means a safe place, especially these days, but at least they were with him and he could make sure they were safe.

He smiled down at them through the dark as they walked through the relatively thin trees at the edge of the Forest. But his smile faded. He could keep them safe – as long as he could keep him eye on Luna.

"No, not again – where's she?" he said, staring at the spot he had last seen Luna.

Ginny and Neville looked around.

"She's gone again?" Neville asked, holding up his lighted wand and scanning the woods. "Luna!" he called. "Luna!"

"Tha' girl's gonna get herself lost," Hagrid grumbled.

"Here I am." Luna appeared, walking along a fallen long, her arms outstretched to keep her balance. "I could have sworn I saw a Bibbering Humdinger just over there, but I lost it."

Hagrid rolled his eyes. "_Humdingers_," he muttered under his breath. "My foot."

"Luna," Neville said sternly, glancing nervously around, "you got to stay with us."

"He's right," Hagrid nodded. "The Forest isn't as safe as it used ter be. The centaurs are real upset with the Ministry righ' now – they've got no more righ's, see? And the Acromantula aren't so keen on me since... well, I don't think either'll be too pleased ter run inter us. Stick close."

"Oh, but Humdingers very interesting creatures," she said earnestly.

"You jus' stand here beside me, all righ'? And don' move."

"But what if I see another –?"

"Jus' stay _beside me_. I swear, I'm going t'ave t' put yeh on a leash!"

Luna hurried over to Hagrid's left and fell in line with the other three. "Ginny," Hagrid continued, "you bin awfully quiet. Not like yeh. Humdinger got yer tongue?"

Ginny shrugged, her arms crossed.

"I think that's my fault," said Luna softly, leaning her head back too look up at Hagrid. "She's upset with me because I told her to give the Sword back. I think she wanted to fight for it."

Ginny looked around Hagrid's middle at Luna. "Of course I'm not upset with you," she sighed.

"You were nearly crying when I told you to give it back, so I –"

"Luna, will you _ever_ mange to keep your thoughts in your head long enough to figure out if what you're about to say is tactful or not?"

Neville and Hagrid exchanged nervous looks.

Luna's brow contracted as she snapped her mouth shut. But Ginny – to her great relief – was smiling, so she grinned back. "Oh, you were making a joke! It's just – sometimes I feel like I have so many thoughts that I have to get them out or there will simply be too many for me to sort through."

Hagrid and Neville laughed, but Ginny just grinned and kicked a stray twig out of her path.

"Come on now, Ginny, what's botherin' yeh?" Hagrid asked kindly. "'S not like yeh to be quiet like this."

"We really don't have to talk about –" Ginny began.

"She wishes we had the Sword," Luna interrupted.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "And how would you know?"

Luna shrugged. "Just your expression – very disappointed."

Ginny uncrossed her arms. "Well, yes, I _do_ wish we'd gotten the Sword."

"Well, I'm thrilled yeh didn'!" Hagrid boomed. "Imagine what woulda happened if yeh did!"

"Shh, Hagrid," Neville whispered, looking around. "Not so loud!" The others ignored him.

"But Dumbledore left it to Harry," Ginny insisted. "He _needs_ it. He's out there, doing who knows what, and he needs that Sword! And here I am, with it sitting right under my nose, and I couldn't even…" Her voice trailed off and she re-crossed her arms. "It was the one way I could have helped them," she murmured so softly that the others had to strain to hear her. "It was the _one thing_ I could have done that would have made any difference."

"Aw, don' think like that!"

"It's true," she insisted. "And now it'll be impossible to get at it, I'm sure they'll have it really heavily protected…"

"I think Snape's planin' to move it outta Hogwarts, ter be honest – but you didn' hear tha' from me."

"That's worse!" she cried, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Now we _really_ don't have a hope."

"There's always hope," Luna said confidently, nodding at Neville.

"Not for the one thing that matters," Ginny muttered.

Neville shook his head. "It's not the only thing matters!"

Ginny looked at him, skeptically raising an eyebrow.

"Honestly," Neville went on. "This is just one set back. We've got Snape scared – he's moving the Sword – now he knows what he's up against. And we've got to keep going because everything we do helps. We're resisting Snape, the Carrows, and You-Know-Who, and so we're helping Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the Order, even if it's in a small way. Every time we don't give in counts – and I'll never give in, Ginny, that's a promise."

Ginny looked at him for a moment. "You really think that?" she asked quietly. "You really think everything we do actually counts?"

"I do," said Neville firmly.

"Hagrid?" Luna asked politely. "May I please leave your side for a minute and hug Ginny?"

"I don't need a hug," Ginny muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, but I'd like one."

Hagrid, who was laughing, nodded.

Luna walked past him and hugged Ginny, who had to grin as she patted Luna's back.

Hagrid was still laughing, but to everyone's surprise, he was looking at Neville.

"What?" Neville asked, a bit self-consciously.

"Do yeh remember yer firs' detention, Neville?" he asked, still chuckling.

Neville shuttered. "Yeah – it was in here, with you. It was awful."

"And Malfoy scared yeh so bad, I had yeh come with Hermione an' me, remember?"

Neville felt blood rushing to his cheeks. "Yeah, I remember… what about it?"

"Well," said Hagrid, wiping his eye with his large finger, "I jus' – I never though' tha' –" He grinned again. "I never though' I'd hear _yeh_ talk like tha' – about resistin' and never givin' in. Yeh sound like Harry."

Neville could still feel his cheeks burning and stared down at his feet. "I'm not like Harry," he muttered. "Harry was a good leader."

"You're a good leader," Luna piped up, moving back to her place on the other side of Hagrid.

Neville shook his head.

"It doesn't matter," Ginny said, sounding like her old, confident self again. "Even if you don't _think_ you're a good leader, you are. People trust you, Neville. They look up to you."

"Yeah," Neville protested, "but –"

"_Besides_," she went on, ignoring him, "all three of us are the leaders. Whatever you lack, Luna can make up for, and whatever she can't do, I can, and whatever I don't know, you do. Does that make sense?"

Neville screwed up his face, trying to sort through what she'd just said.

"We compliment each other," Luna explained. "That's a very nice way of thinking about it, Ginny," she added. She looked affectionately at Neville and Ginny for a moment. "I like that we're friends."

The other two smiled. "I like it, too," Neville said.

A loud, rushing noise from above made all three of them stop dead and look up. "What?" Hagrid asked, sniffling again. He wiped his eye. "I jus' got… somethin'… in me eye."

Ginny grinned knowingly at him.

"What can I say?" Hagrid cried, "I got a heart!"

Neville looked over into the dark trees. "Maybe we should be quieter," he whispered. "If there are any…" He gulped. "…_werewolves_ out here…"

"Ah, phooey," Hagrid spat, "there aren't no werewolves in here. If there were, we'da known it."

Neville sighed, relieved.

"It's the centaurs and giant spiders we need t' worry about. ."

Neville tensed up again.

"You know," said Luna, looking around interestedly at the dark trees. "It's really quite beautiful here."

"Yes, if we weren't scared for our lives, I'm sure it'd be a perfect place to have a picnic," Neville murmured, still glancing around, straining to hear any far-off hooves.

"I'm not scared. I'm with you three," Luna answered.

Hagrid proudly beamed around at the Forest. "I always though' it was beautiful, too. People said I was crazy ter like it in here, but it's nice, isn't it? A sorta peaceful-like quiet."

Luna nodded. "I could paint it."

"You paint?" Ginny asked. "I didn't know that."

"Oh, just for fun," Luna shrugged. "But Daddy says I'm quite good. In fact," she went on, "you two should come over one day and see what I've painted above my bed." Luna stopped talking for a moment and seemed lost in some happy thought. She looked around Hagrid to Ginny and Neville and smiled. "You know, I've never invited friends over before."

"Well," said Ginny, "we'd love to come."

Luna beamed.

"You should talk to Dean," Neville put in. "He's a great artist. Remember those Gryffindor lions he used to draw?" he asked Ginny.

Ginny sighed. "I don't think she's likely to run into Dean any time soon," she said darkly.

"I'd be worried if I were Michael Corner," Luna mused.

Ginny looked confused. "Why?"

"Well, it seems most of the boys you've dated have ended up on the run, doesn't it?"

Hagrid erupted into laughter, and even Neville laughed out loud, forgetting to be quiet. Ginny narrowed her eyes and glared at Luna.

"Oh… was that one of the thoughts I should have kept in my head?"

Neville gasped for breath, still laughing. "Yeah… yeah, I'd say that was one of them." Ginny smacked his shoulder. But even she had to smile.

"Speaking of Dean," Ginny said, more to change the subject than anything else, "have you and Seamus started talking again?"

"Wha'?" Hagrid cried. "Wha's happened with you two? Yer were getting' on so well."

"_Shhh_," Neville hissed, pressing his finger to his lips and looking around. "Please Hagrid, we don't know what's in here."

"Ah, I know wha's in here." But Hagrid kept his voice down, and he too glanced through the trees. "But tell me wha's happened."

Neville sighed. "Seamus doesn't think Harry's coming back. He thinks he and Ron and Hermione are in hiding."

"Hiding?" scoffed Hagrid. "Has he even _met_ the three of 'em? The last thing they would do _hide_."

"Yeah, I know," Neville went on, his eyes downcast. "We had a big row about it and we really haven't spoken since."

"He'll come to his senses," Hagrid assured him. "Jus' takes some people longer, is all."

"I hope so," Neville murmured. Although he never admitted it, not talking to Seamus was awful – the tension between them was like a heavy, invisible weight pressing down on Neville's chest; a dull ache that kept him from eating and sleeping properly.

When Neville came out of his thoughts, Luna was explaining Potterwatch.

"Oh – er – _interestin'_," Hagrid said, with a little too much gusto, nodding vigorously.

Ginny folded her arms, raised an eyebrow and looked up at Hagrid. "You already knew, didn't you?"

"Wha'? _Me_? _Know_? No I didn't… no _way_ I did…"

"_Hagrid_," she snapped, "why wouldn't you tell us?"

"I didn't want you lot in anymore trouble!" he sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Yer already takin' so many risks, the whole load of you _Dumbledore's Army_ kids an' –"

"How do you know about the DA?" Neville asked, suddenly frightened. If Hagrid knew, who else did?

"'S no secret," Hagrid shrugged. "You're all back together again, aren't yeh?"

"We are," Luna said, proudly. "But we never really left. We've always been in Dumbledore's Army, we're just more active now."

Hagrid shook his head. "Ah yeah, I remember – sixth year you three were there th' night… th' night…" He sighed. "You know."

Something heavy but stealthy rustled the underbrush nearby. Neville jumped. "Did you hear that?" he whispered, moving closer to Ginny. Ginny raised she lighted wand.

"I don't see –"

"Put tha' _down_," Hagrid ordered, pushing her hand back to her side. "If it's the Spiders, I don't wan' 'em to know where we are. If it's the centaurs, I don't think usin' magic so openly is a good idea. And if it's… _something else_… maybe we shouldn't be givin' away where we are."

Ginny swallowed hard, looking nervously from Neville to Luna. "How much longer do we have to stay in here?" she whispered.

"I'd say we got another two hours," Hagrid mused, looking up through the trees at the moon. "We'll make it out fine," he added reassuringly, "we jus' gotta keep to ourselves is all. There's ain't nothin' in here that –"

"I'd have kept my voice lower, Hagrid, if I did not wish to be detected."

The four of them jumped back. Neville yelped, Luna gave a little scream, and Ginny gasped. A huge, dark, wild-looking centaur had stepped out of the trees and stood on the path before them.

"Get behind me," Hagrid called to them, "get behind me!"

"No!" Neville cried, "Hagrid, you haven't got a wand!"

"But you always were a great lumbering oaf," the centaur snarled. "Where's that filthy dog of your's?"

"Bane," Hagrid growled, his eyes narrowing. "What are yeh doin' here?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Bane said, coming out of the shadows and extending himself to his full height. "You are not welcome here anymore. But here you are _again_ – and with more of your young!"

Neville suddenly became very away of the arrows slung over Bane's shoulder.

The great centaur took two menacing steps forward. Ginny held her lighted wand out, and though it trembled slightly in her hand, she didn't bring it down. "Leave us alone," she said. "We're not here to - "

"Put tha' down," Hagrid told her, trying to push Neville and Luna behind him.

"I won't."

Neville raised his wand, too. "Move Hagrid, we can - " Something fast and sharp whizzed by them, grazing Ginny's hand. She dropped her wand and clutched her bleeding hand.

"You shot her!" Neville cried, staring at Bane, his eyes wide with fear and anger. "You _shot _her!"

Bane shook his head. "I didn't. But I was not foolish enough to come alone, human."

Neville swallowed hard and spun around, looking through the black Forest. He may not have been able to see them, but he was certain they were surrounded by other centaurs. He was never sure whether, in the silence that followed, he could hear them fitting arrows into their bows or if he had imagined it.

Ginny already had her wand back in her hand, but she too was glancing around, breathing hard.

"Next time," said Bane slowly, "our aim will not be so kind."

"They're jus' kids," Hagrid pleaded, taking Ginny's hand and examining it quickly in the poor lighting. "Leave 'em be, Bane."

"_Just kids_," Bane scoffed. "How many more of you are there?"

"What?" Hagrid asked, brow contracted in confusion as he looked back to Bane. "No one, 's jus' us!"

"Then why are you here?" the centaur demanded. "Did the Ministry send you? Why are you sneaking around in the dead of night?"

"Not like we wanted to be here!" Hagrid cried. "Had ter come, didn' we? It's those Death Eaters up at the school, they sent us here!"

"You expect me to believe that?" Bane scoffed. "How unintelligent to you think me, Hagrid?"

"Oh, we know you're not unintelligent," said Luna suddenly. "Centaurs are known for their powerful healing, Astronomy, and Divination. Everyone knows that."

Hagrid used his huge hand to try and push Luna back behind him. "That's enough outta you, all right? I got it sorted, I got it sorted," he muttered to her.

"_Everyone _knows it?" Bane repeated, ignoring Hagrid and still looking at Luna. "Then why is it that your laws now give us no rights? Our lands have been taken from us; we are being rounded up like common _horses_!" Bane breathed heavily through his nose, his eyes ablaze with anger. "I know the signs," he growled. "Soon it will be forced labour, exploitation, deaths. Wizards are simply waiting for the day when they serve centaur steaks at their filthy tables! Explain how _everyone_ can know if these injustices are allowed!"

"Bane," Hagrid pleaded, "she's jus' a kid, she doesn't mean no harm."

Luna pushed past Hagrid. "Those wizards are wrong," she said forcefully. "It's You-Know-Who that's put this nonsense into everyone's heads. But some of us still know better."

"And I suppose you count yourselves among these?"

"I do."

"That's why we're here," Ginny said, coming forward. She glared at him angrily, still clutching her hand. "For resisting them and fighting back. They sent us in here to watch for werewolves."

Bane looked confused. "Werewolves?" He looked to Hagrid. "There are no werewolves in the Forest."

Hagrid shrugged. "Tha's what I bin sayin'."

Bane looked back to Ginny, who took an involuntary step backwards. Bane was, after all, very big. "And you three?" he asked. "You _children_ are our champions of justice? Then why have there been no _changes_?"

"Because that's just it," Ginny said, meeting Bane's eye bravely. "We're _children_. It's difficult for us. Why don't you fight for your own rights?"

"We are," Bane snarled, pawing at the ground. "Believe me."

"Is that where the rest o' the herd is?" Hagrid asked.

But Bane was distracted. He was looking up through the roof of leaves at the night sky. "Mars is bright tonight," he murmured.

Hagrid rolled his eyes. "Not this again," he muttered. "Never try t' get a straight answer outta a ruddy centaur."

Luna took a step forward and looked up as well. "It is," she observed.

Bane looked down at her. "You study Divination up at the school?"

Luna shook her head. "I used to, but I didn't have room for it on my timetable this year, you see. But I know it's very complicated, powerful magic, very difficult to grasp. I have great respect for it. So, if you Mars is bright tonight, I'm sure it's a very important observation."

Bane looked to Hagrid, an almost amused expression just visible above his wild, tangled beard. "Did you coach this one in flattery, Hagrid?"

Hagrid beamed proudly down at Luna. "Nope. Luna's the top o' my Care o' Magical Creatures class an' she knows everythin' about..." Suddenly, Hagrid gulped. "Er – by _creatures_, o'course, I don' mean you lot, I – er…"

"They're beasts," Luna said, promptly. "Professor Binns told us they rejected Being status in 1811 because of what it would associate them with. It was a risky move. I have great respect for that, too."

Bane stared down at Luna for a long moment, then, less kindly, at Ginny and Neville. Finally, he turned back to Hagrid. "You're not off to visit your giant, are you Hagrid?"

Hagrid shook his head. "He's in too deep. I'm not bringin' this lot in that far."

"And when will you leave?"

"Soon," Hagrid said, quickly. "An hour an' a half, I'd say."

Bane narrowed his eyes and looked at all four of them again. "Times are dark enough - I want no more blood staining this Forest. Keep your wands and your voices low and stay near the edge of the Forest, understood?"

Hagrid nodded. "'S what we've bin tryin' t' do."

"Try harder," Bane warned. Then he slipped silently through the trees, galloping away. The sound echoed around them - an echo, or the rest of the herd following Bane's lead.

Neville seemed to exhale for the first time since Bane showed up. "I thought we were done for," he said weakly.

Ginny nodded. "He wasn't too pleased to see us, did he Hagrid?"

"Knew he wouldn't be," said Hagrid, shaking his head. "But we got off all right, thanks to Luna," he grinned. "_Mars is bright_ and all that wash. Quick thinking."

Luna shrugged. "I was just being honest. I like centaurs, they're fascinating."

"Looney stargazers, I say," said Hagrid, shaking his head. "And none too friendly."

"I guess I just like things that are different." Luna sighed sadly. "I do wish he would have stayed."

Neville raised his eyebrows. "Seriously?"

Luna looked over at him. "I've never met a centaur before. They're beautiful, aren't they? And I'm sure if anyone knows where the Blibbering Humdingers are in the Forest, it's them."

Ginny smiled and linked her arm through Luna's. "Is your had all right?" Luna asked.

"Nothing Madam Pomfrey can't sort out," Ginny assured her. She grabbed Neville's arm and linked her other around through his. "Besides, now I have a story to tell."

Hagrid shook his shaggy head, smiling. "Don' think I'lle ver understand you lot," he muttered.

All three of them were still shaky, their eyes pealed for any sign of movement, but they had never felt fonder of each other. They were certain the centaurs would leave them be now, and soon they'd be headed back up to the castle to regail Dumbledore's Army with the story of their latest adventure. As they whispered jokes and helped each other avoid fallen logs, they were completely unaware that another group of friends, hidden somewhere out in the bleak countryside, would soon be wretched apart.

* * *

**AN:** Holy Amazing Reviews, Batman! Seriously guys, you're all amazing. I wanted to go through and thank everyone personally, but I'm so pressed for time I know I can't. (Which is the same reason updates are so few are far between :S) But honestly, I can't thank you enough. I've read them all and each one makes my feel all warm and fuzzy. And a million thank-yous to **nevillesdashizz, **who - besides having an awesome name - has been promoting this fic on tumblr. Like, wow. Thank you! And there is the _most beautiful art _for it, too. Check it out here: .com/post/2103819896/can-we-blame-the-son-for-the-sins-of-the-father. As cheesy as it is, I am _honoured_. And I'm sorry for all the terrible spelling... :S Once the story is finished, I'll go back and give it a good edit, clean up the spelling and work out some of the kinks. So, long story short, _thank you all_. I wuuuuuv you!

I've just gone back and added a little bit to the Forest scene. Not much, but I felt like the ending was really lacking. I think I'm just too excited to start working on the next couple of chapters that I wanted to rush through this one, lol. Your reviews have all been wonderful and honestly very helpful. I know it takes me forever to write, but look forwards to lots of action to come! And I know some people have been commenting about the time line. What I meant by the last line was that soon Ron would leave Harry and Hermione. He leaves after the trio find out about the Forest detention, right? Anyhow, I just wanted to kind of juxtapose the relationships, but I don't think it worked the way I imagined :S Please let me know if there's something wrong with the timeline and I'll try and fix it up!


	13. Dreams

**Dreams**

_"It was just… a really bad dream. I can't explain it."_

"Parvati! _Parvati_!"

With a start Parvati woke, sitting up in bed so quickly she was lightheaded for a moment. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she looked over at Lavender, squinting through the dark. "What is it?" she asked, concerned. Her friend was sitting up in bed, too, hugging herself.

"I had another dream," Lavender said shakily.

Parvati reached over to the small table beside her four poster bed and grabbed her wand. Sliding over to the edge of the bed, she muttered, "_Lumos_. What was it about this time?" she asked.

Lavender ran her hands over her face and sighed. "It's hard to remember… a lot of stuff happened in it. Draco Malfoy was there…" she screwed up her face, struggling to recall it all. "He was in Diagon Ally."

"That doesn't seem so bad," Parvati said, gently. Lavender had been having nightmares nearly once a week now, some horrible and some _really_ horrible – this dream seemed like nothing.

Lavender shook her head. "There's more. He went to Ollivander's."

"But it's closed," pointed out Parvati, quickly. "No one goes there – no one's seen Mr. Ollivander."

"I know, I know…"

"Do you know where he is?" Suddenly, Parvati was excited. If Lavender could guess where the wandmaker was, they could send someone to search for him – or at least hope he was still alive.

"No, he wasn't there. Not that I saw, anyway. But Luna was there."

"Luna Lovegood?" Parvati asked, narrowing her eyes, confused.

"Yeah." Lavender nodded, staring down at her comforter. "She was in Ollivander's shop. Malfoy had her by the wrist and was pulling her – dragging her away. And she kept turning back and saying 'oh, just leave him, he doesn't know, he doesn't know'."

"Doesn't know what?"

Lavender shrugged. "That's what she was saying."

"And what did Malfoy say?"

"I don't remember… it's all fuzzy now…" It was clear Lavender was frustrated with herself and she squeezed her eyes tight, trying to remember. "He said… 'he knows something or he wouldn't he here… I trust him, he knows what he's doing'."

"Malfoy trusts Mr. Ollivander?"

"I don't know! I told you, everything's blurry now!" Lavender buried her face in her hands. "It was just… a really bad dream. I can't explain it. Everything was dark and Luna had bruises on her face… she was so scared and angry and Malfoy… he was scared and angry, too, and now _I'm_ scared and angry…" Lavender shook her head. After a moment she looked at Parvati and forced a grin. "You think I'm mental, don't you?"

"Of course not," Pavarti said quickly. "But sometimes… dreams are just dreams. It might not mean anything," she pointed out. "We're all just worried." She stood up and walked over to Lavender's bed, passing Hermione's empty one as she did. She wished Hermione was there – she'd be able to keep a clear head; she'd know what to say to make nightmares seems less real. (And if Hermione was there, that would mean everything was fine, that there would be no nightmares.)

"This isn't worrying," Lavender whispered as Parvati sat next to her. "Our dreams _mean_ something – you heard Professor Trelawney– she said that our minds are open to –"

"Maybe she's wrong," Parvati said.

"Yeah, but maybe she's _not_." Lavender squeezed her eyes shut again. "What if that dream I had about Won W – er, _Ron_ – comes true? His arm fell off and Hermione couldn't sew it back on –"

Parvati grabbed her hand. "I'm sure Ron's fine, Lav. People's limbs don't just _fall off_," she smiled.

Lavender shook her head again. "I'm still mad at him, but I'm scared. No one knows where he is, even Potterwatch can't say for sure that he's…" She sighed. "I don't want him to _die_… I don't want anyone to die." From the light of her wand, Parvati could just make out the tears gathering in Lavender's eyes.

She squeezed her hand. "No one's going to die," she whispered.

"You don't know that."

Parvati sighed. "You're right. But still, your dream doesn't sound too bad – Malfoy and Luna in Diagon Alley? It could have been worse. And let's face it – that's not likely to come true anytime soon."

Lavender smiled, still holding Parvati's hand. "Thanks." Lavender laid back down and yawned. "You're right, dreams are just dreams."

"Exactly," Parvarti said, as briskly as she could manage. She murmured "_nox_" as she made her way back to her own bed.

"Good night, Parvati."

"Night, Lav."

Parvati laid down and closed her eyes, silently praying she wouldn't dream again. Because her dreams were always the same – Harry Potter, lying dead in the dark on a pile of dry leaves. But dreams were just dreams, she told herself. Maybe if she said it often enough, she would believe it.


	14. Cruico

**Crucio**

_"Longbottom, you will find your place in this world or I will shove you into it!"_

The following evening Neville walked into the empty classroom Alecto had said his detention would take place in. All the desks had been pushed up against the walls, leaving a wide empty space in the middle of the room.

As he had expected, Neville saw Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle listening intently to something Amycus was saying. "Now fiendfyre," he said, "is very temperamental and requires great concentration…"

It was Draco who first noticed Neville standing in the doorway. The little colour he had in his pale face seemed to drain away. "You said we weren't Cursing anyone tonight," he interrupted. "We're not using this fire on _him_, are we?"

"No," Amycus said, his empty gray eyes falling on Neville. "Alecto," he called over his shoulder, "he's here." He turned disinterestedly from Neville and continued his lecture.

Alecto stood at the far end of the room, looking out a window with her hands behind her back. A couple of students Neville vaguely recognized from the Great Hall stood nearby; two young Hufflepuffs, about third or fourth year – a boy and a girl.

Alecto turned from the window and faced Neville. "Get over here," she barked. Neville obeyed and as he came closer he was able to see the Hufflepuffs' faces more clearly. The boy had olive skin, dark hair and large brown eyes that now seemed to be rimmed with red. He was breathing hard, clenching and unclenching his fists. Beside him stood the girl. Her face was splashed with light freckles and her hair fell in thick, slightly messy ringlets over her shoulders. Her cheeks were streaked with tear marks and her eyes kept darting over to the door.

"What's happened?" Neville asked, completely ignoring Alecto and stopping in front of the students. "What are your names? What's going on?"

"She took our wands," the boy began. Neville could tell he was fighting to keep his cool.

The girl shut her eyes and lowered her head as two thick tears rolled down her face.

"There was nothing we could do," he boy went on – he sounded as if he were trying to explain himself, as if he were looking for some kind of forgiveness. "We –"

"This is Mary Alassendro and Nathan Waters," Alecto interrupted. "Their detention started an hour ago."

Neville didn't look at Alecto. "What did you do?" he asked the two of them.

"They tried to blind me," Alecto spat.

"We didn't!" cried the girl called Mary, now openly crying. "We only _blindfolded_ you – it was a stupid prank, just a prank!"

"Of course they failed," Alecto went on, ignoring Mary. "A fine example of magically inept they are. Not surprising, considering."

"You could have killed her," Mary sobbed, "you could have _killed_ her!" The boy, Nathan, squeezed Mary's shoulder and whispered something.

Neville felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest. "Killed who?"

Alecto looked from Mary to Neville. "Rhima Abed," she said coldly. "She was the one that cast the spell," she spat. "Blinded me and nearly sent my flying down a staircase!"

The name rang a bell for Neville, though for a moment he couldn't place where he'd heard it before. "She's on the Qudditich team, isn't she?" he said at last.

"Not anymore," Alecto grinned.

"Where is she?" Neville demanded.

"I finished with her early. I took care of it."

"_Took care of it_?" Nathan erupted. He turned to Neville, outraged. "The _Cruciatus Curse_! She used it for nearly half an hour! She took our wands – it wasn't a fair fight! Only a _coward_ would take someone's wand before cursing them!"

Neville looked around the room, wondering how long he'd be able to hold onto his own wand. "But where is she?" he asked again.

"Hospital Wing," Alecto said, simply.

Neville scowled at her. "Why do you even bother sending us there if you're the one hurting us?"

"She has good blood. Don't want to waste it, do we?"

Neville opened his mouth to say something, but Alecto spoke first.

"I know blood is a sore spot with you," she said, "I remember our little discussion a few days ago. You remember it, don't you?"

Neville nodded.

"Well, that night I had the class come back and reread the chapters with me. But not you. You need… extra help. Nathan and Mary are going to help me get this lesson through your thick skull."

Neville forced himself to swallow, but his throat had gone so dry it was difficult. "How?"

"Longbottom, you're a pure blood – a _whole_ wizard, something very rare nowadays. You're part of the next generation, the generation that will have risen to its full potential and taken hold of its destiny."

"You get that from your filthy textbook?" Neville asked, glaring at her.

"No, from this." Alecto handed him and pink pamphlet.

Neville glanced at the front of it. In thick gold letters it read: _MUDBLOODS and the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pure-Blood Society_. "I'm not going to read this," said he, crinkling it in his hand before dropping it.

"I didn't think you would."

Neville looked worriedly from the Hufflepuffs to Alecto. "What do you mean they're going to help with this lesson?" he asked. "Let them leave. Let them go see their friend, you made your point."

"_Please_," Mary pleaded. "Let us see her."

"We've got to make sure she's ok," Nathan said.

Again, Alecto ignored them. "I'll explain. Mary here is a half-blood. Your mother had to flee the village she lived in as a girl, didn't she? They found out she was a witch and thought she was _evil_. The Muggles drove her out, didn't they?"

Mary glared at Alecto, but didn't deny it.

"Filthy animals," Alecto spat. "But it gets worse! You'd _think_ she would have learned her lesson, but your _idiot_ of a mother –"

"My mother is not an idiot!"

" – married your _beast_ of a father! A Muggle!"

"My father isn't a beast, he's brilliant," Mary insisted. "He's an artist, he –"

"Shut up." Alecto turned to Nathan, who drew himself up to his full height, nearly as tall as Alecto. Behind them, her brother droned on. "It's Nathan who's the real interesting on, isn't it?" She gave a horrible smile. "Nathan has a Muggle mother. His father _claims_ to be a half-blood, but the Ministry of Magic has reason to believe he may be lying. There is no evidence of him anywhere; he didn't even attend Hogwarts. Sounds… _fishy_, doesn't it?"

"A lot of wizards go to school abroad," Neville said quietly, his throat very, very dry.

Alecto grinned at Neville. "It's a _lie_. I say we've got a Mudblood at Hogwarts!"

Behind him, Amycus and the Slytherins erupted into laughter that Neville tried to ignore. His mind raced – Rhima's blood was pure and worth saving, but what about Mary? What about _Nathan_? "What does this have to do with me?" he asked slowly, concentrating on keeping his voice from wavering.

"You're here to help me punish them. Longbottom, you're a pureblood and you're gutsy – an idiot – but gutsy. That will take you places, that will."

"No!" Neville cried. "No, _never_!"

"Longbottom, you will find your place in this world or I will shove you into it! One way or another, you will _learn_!"

"Y-you expect m-me to _Curse_ them?"

"You've done it before," Alecto said in a low growl, her gray lips curling into something that resembled a smile. "And from what I heard, you did very well."

"No!" Neville cried again. His heart thudded wildly against his chest. Lavender had thought what to do, but Mary and Nathan weren't in Dumbledore's Army and didn't know to fake it. There was no way he could tell them to do it without Alecto overhearing.

If he was going to Cruse them, it would have to be _real_.

Clutching his wand so tightly it pressed painfully into his skin, he thought of refusing and fighting his way out. But Nathan and Mary didn't have wands, there was no way, unless…

He looked over his shoulder at the Slytherins and Aymcus, who had stopped his lesson to watch. Crabbe and Goyle grinned stupidly at him. Draco's face was blank and completely unmoved, but his eyes flicked briefly to meet Neville's. In that instant Neville knew what Draco wanted to say – _see what it's like? See what it's like to have no choice?_

They wouldn't be any help. Breathing hard, Neville looked back to Alecto. "I won't. Do what you want to me, but I'll never do it."

Alecto rolled her eyes. "All these heroics are getting old." She grabbed Nathan roughly by the collar and dragged him away from where Neville stood, now left facing Mary. "Curse her," Alecot ordered.

"_No_."

Alecto pressed her wand into Nathan's neck. "Crucio."

Nathan cried out and crumpled to the ground.

"No!" Mary screamed. She tried to run over to him, but Alecto had already turned her wand at her.

"_Impedimenta."_

Mary stumbled and fell backwards as if she'd run into a wall. "Nathan!" she screamed.

Nathan, raised himself up on an elbow, holding her head in his hand. "I'm fine," he said weakly. He gave her a brave smile. "Mary, I'm fine."

"_Curse her_," Alecto demanded again.

Neville did nothing. He was begging his mind to work faster, to come up with something – _anything_.

He couldn't attack Alecto; with Amycus and the Slytherins in the room there would be no hope for him, and an all out duel meant Mary and Nathan were likely to get caught in the crossfire. He couldn't bring himself to Curse Mary; she was still on the floor, sobbing, watching her friend as he struggled to sit up. But if he didn't, he knew Alecto would just Curse Nathan again. She wouldn't care how long it took, she thought Nathan was Muggle-born – he didn't matter.

"_Now_, Longbottom."

"I c-can't, I –"

"Curcio!"

Again, Nathan fell to the ground, crying out so painfully it was as though Neville was being hurt, too. He shut his eyes, trying to block it out. But Mary's screams were nearly more bone-chilling than Nathan's.

"Stop it, _please_!" she begged Alecto. "He didn't do it – it was all me! Please!" she sobbed, "_please_!"

"I won't ask again, Longbottom!" Alecto cried over Mary and Nathan. "Do it!"

Neville looked his wand, his hand shaking violently. How could he? This was worse then having to Curse Lavender. Though he didn't know her, somehow Mary stood for ever other kid trying to fight back and resist. It was then he realized that this was bigger than Harry Potter; this was bigger than Dumbledore's Army or the Order of the Phoenix – there were people everywhere fighting back, people he didn't know and would never know, doing what they could in there way. And getting hurt for it.

And Mary was just a kid. She hadn't known what she was getting into.

Alecto pointed her wand at Nathan again and he screamed, contorting unnaturally, his spine rigid, his fists clenched.

"_Nathan_! Nate, just hold on!" Mary got up and tried to run to him again, but was again knocked back. Behind them, Neville heard Amycus laugh.

He thought back to Luna, how he had been the one screaming her name, how he would have given _anything_ to trade places with her.

Nathan fought wildly for breath, his chest rising and falling too quickly, too shallowly.

"Nathan! Enough – he's had enough, can't you see? Stop it, he can't breath!"

"_Crucio_!"

"You bloody monster! Stop it! _Please_!"

Nathan opened his mouth, trying to speak. "M-Mary… all r-right… you and R-Rhima…"

"Shut up, you thieving, disgusting Mudblood!" Alecto gave him a kick in the head before Cursing him again.

But Nathan didn't shut up. It took a moment for his eyes to focus, but when they did, he looked up at Alecto. "…weren't trying… t-to blind you…" he gasped. "We were…"

"No, Nathan!" Mary screamed, "don't, _don't_! It'll only make it worse!"

Nathan ignored her and continued. "We tried t-to kill you."

"Damn it, Nathan!" Mary cried. Again, she tried to make her way to him, but Alecto – infuriated beyond anything Neville had ever seen – turned her wand on Mary. Mary flew back and landed hard against the wall. Again, she Cursed Nathan, her voice shrill and psychotic. "Crucio! Crucio! _Crucio_!"

"Stop!" Neville screamed at her. "You're killing him! Stop!"

"Don't you _see_?" Alecto screeched at him. "Mudbloods are stinking, bloodthirsty monsters! Curse her, Longbottom! She isn't fit to be called a witch – Curse her or I swear I'll bleed this dog dry and we'll rid the world of his filthy blood!"

Mary, her eyes fluttering dazedly, clutched the back of her head. Neville wondered how badly she'd been hurt. "He bleeds like me," she muttered. "He bleeds like you."

"Enough! _Crucio_!"

Nathan screamed. His face and hair were slick with sweat and his entire body shook.

Neville screwed up his eyes tight. He knew what he had to do. This had to end. Tears he hardly noticed fell hot and fast down his face. He knew it was what Mary wanted because he had wanted it too, when it was his friend being Cursed. He raised his wand.

"Want it, Longbottom!" Alecto cried. "Really _want_ it!" Another flick of her wand and Nathan's limp body jumped as if he's been shocked. But he didn't shout this time.

_Am I already too late?_ Neville wondered, being to panic. _What if he's gone? What if his mind – ?_

"Nate! _Nate_!"

"Do it, Longbottom!"

Neville swallowed hard. Somehow, this felt like the end of something. "Crucio."

* * *

**AN:** I may go back and rewrite some of this chapter. I'm not sure if all of it works, I just really wanted to post it :S Any feedback would make you supermegafoxyawesomehot.  
Also, thank you for the reviews! I just... gwarsh guys... shucks... thank you!


	15. In The Courtyard

**In The Courtyard**

_Hannah laughed, an easy laugh, like they were friends._

The days passed slowly and eventually stretched themselves into weeks. The weather grew colder and snow fell thick around the castle, making everything unrecognizable mounds of white. The courtyard, however, was covered in a thin, gray, watery slush. Ginny kicked some it out of her way as she and Neville paced through it, talking quietly. She figured the slush was from all of the students walking around so much – even in the freezing cold, being outside Hogwarts was far better than being in. The further away you were fro m the Carrows, the better.

And now there were the Ministry Inspectors – tall, heavily cloaked witches and wizards, with leering, beady eyes and sour smiles, who claimed to be in there to ensure the children's education was up to Ministry standards. But, of course, Ginny knew what they really were – Snape flexing his muscles, showing the rebels left at Hogwarts just how easy it was for him to call in an army at a moment's notice.

So it only made sense the students took refuge in the courtyard, despite the bone-chilling cold and the murky water that seeped through their boots.

Ginny glanced over at Neville, who was staring at his feet as he trudged through the slush. "You all right?" she asked.

He nodded, still looking at his feet.

Ginny sighed. She wasn't sure how to talk to Neville anymore. After his detention, he seemed to have closed up into himself. If it was possible, she hated the Carrows even more; they had taken something from Neville, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Good," she said briskly, deciding to ignore his sullen mood for now. "Because I've got something very important to tell you."

Neville looked up. "What?"

"You remember when we tried to get the Sword – how we were going to give it to Dobby?"

"Yeah. But you know we can't get the Sword, it's –"

Ginny shook her head. "No, not the Sword. But it's something we've been overlooking – _house elves_."

"What about them?" Neville asked, confused.

"Under You-Know-Who the house elves are in a worse spot then they ever were. They're being treated like dirt, like slaves, _less_ than nothing."

"They've always been bound to their masters," Neville pointed out, "it's nothing new."

"Yeah, but before their masters didn't consider them _scum_," she spat. "At least there was some _compassion_ – some _respect_ – some _gratitude_! Oh Merlin," Ginny sighed suddenly, slamming her hand to her forehead, "I sound like Hermione."

Neville smiled weakly.

"Anyways," Ginny said, business-like again, "we ought to try and… enlist them."

"What do you want them to do? Stab Snape with a butter knife?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "No, nothing that would get them in trouble. Just… maybe they could spit in their soup or something."

Neville gave his first genuine laugh all day. "That's it," he chuckled, "the answer to it all – why didn't we think of it sooner?"

Ginny folded her arms crossly over her chest. "Fine, what's _your_ brilliant idea?" she demanded.

"Aw, don't be mad," Neville grinned. "It's a good idea. Something to think about, at least."

Ginny glared at him for a moment, but a smile crept over her face; it was good to see Neville laugh, even if it was at her. Uncrossing her arms, she scanned the courtyard. "Hey look," she said, "it's Ernie… and Hannah." She shot Neville a sly grin.

Neville looked terrified. "Ginny – _don't_ – don't you _dare _call them over here."

"Why not?" Ginny asked innocently.

Neville looked, wide-eyed, from where Ernie stood pointing out something in a book to Hannah, to Ginny. "Just… I can't talk to her, I –"

"I know," Ginny sighed, "Luna told me. Really, I don't know why you tell her these things instead of me. You know she can't keep anything to herself."

"Yeah, but _you'd_ make me do something about it!"

"You're right." Ginny winked at him. "Oi! Ernie! Hannah!" She waved her arm over her head. "Over here!"

The two Hufflepuffs turned and made there way over to Ginny and Neville. As Ernie stood on Ginny's right, she turned sharply to the left, leaving Hannah next to Neville. "You're welcome," she mouthed, as Neville glared evilly at her.

"Where's Luna?" Ernie asked, his book clutched to his chest. "Aren't you three always together?"

"She's writing to her father," Ginny explained. "I think he might be in some sort of trouble."

"I haven't heard anything on Potterwatch," Hannah said, looking slightly worried.

"Must be what he's printing in the Quibbler," Ginny pointed out. "He must have the Ministry breathing down his neck."

"I always thought he was a bit…" Ernie bit his lip, searching for the word.

"Looney?" Ginny suggested.

"Well… yeah," Ernie conceded. "But all this stuff in the Quibbler – he's quite a brave man." Ernie looked suitably impressed.

"Everyone who's working against You-Know-Who has to do it so quietly," Hannah pointed out. "It's nice to have some proof that there are people outside Hogwarts working for what we're working for. Like we're not alone, even if we're stuck here." She smiled up at Neville. "Gives you hope, doesn't it?"

Ginny had seen the look on Hannah's face many times - Fleaur still got it every time she looked at Bill - and knew it was so cue to leave. After giving Neville the shadow of a smile, she turned to Ernie. "Hey Ernie, you're quite good in potions, aren't you?"

"Well," Ernie shrugged, trying not to grin, "I suppose one could say –"

"Perfect. I need you're help. I'm trying to make a Sneezing Potion, but I just can't get it the right consistency."

"Oh yes," Ernie nodded, "those are tricky, but I most certainly can –"

"Great. Neville, you're rubbish at potions, so I'll see you at lunch." She placed her hands on Ernie's back and forcibly pushed him back towards the castle.

Confused, Ernie looked over his shoulder, waved at Hannah and Neville, and disappeared with Ginny round a corner.

Neville glared after them, hoping somehow his thoughts would reach Ginny. _I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. I'll never, ever forgive you for this – why can't you just keep your nose out of people's –_

"Uh, Neville?"

Neville spun round and looked at Hannah. "Yeah?"

"Are you all right? You look like that wall's just insulted you."

Neville felt his face flush. "Uh – fine – I'm fine."

Hannah started walking across the courtyard again and Neville fell into step beside her. They were quiet for a while, hands deep in the pockets of their robes to keep them warm.

"You can ask about them, you know."

Neville looked over at her, a little surprised. She seemed completely calm and (he couldn't help but notice) very pretty, even in the gray muck around her.

He swallowed hard. "How are they? Mary and Nathan?"

"They're fine," she answered kindly.

Despite himself, Neville could feel his heart racing. "I… I didn't w-want to, I…"

But Hannah didn't seem to hear him. "It was very brave of you, doing what you did," she said.

Neville raised an eyebrow. "How can you possibly call –"

"It must have been so hard," she explained quietly. "Compromising yourself like that. But if you hadn't… I don't even want to think about what would have happened."

"How is Nathan?" he asked. "Alecto really…"

Hannah shrugged. "Physically, he's weak, but he'll be all right." She smiled faintly. "Mary's constantly fussing over him, it's driving him mad. But he's angry. He's always been angry, though. No," she said, reconsidering, "not angry… _passionate_." She nodded to herself, glad she found the right word. "Yes, he's passionate and now he's been all riled up."

"He said," Neville began quietly, "he said they were trying to _kill _Alecto."

Hannah sighed. "Nathan likes to say things to shock people. He always has - he fights with his words more than his wand. My guess is they just wanted Alecto out of Hogwarts."

"Snape'd just find another of his Deather Eater friends to replace her," Neville said bitterly.

"I know. But Rhima's back to scheming, I'm sure. And she's been asking about us, you know."

Neville's mouth fell open and he felt his face flush up to his eyebrows. "W-why would she be asking a-about _us_?"

"Well, obviously she wants to join the DA."

Neville exhaled. "Oh! Yeah, the DA. Yeah. Obviously."

Hannah laughed. "What on Earth did you think I was talking about?"

Neville laughed, too, but nervously. "Er – nothing."

"They want to join."

Neville shook his head. "No, no one new. We know we can trust the people in the DA now, but if we start letting anyone in, who knows what secrets will get out? The only way we can work is if no one else knows what we're doing."

"Yes, but –"

"Besides," Neville pointed out, "people can resist without being in the DA. They do it all the time."

Hannah shook her head. "I think it would be better if we were all united. As individual little clusters, we're not very much of a threat, but if we stood together, I think… I think we could take back the school." She looked up at him, smiling and hopeful.

Neville nodded his head toward the school. "Haven't you noticed all our new friends wandering around the corridors? They're all just _waiting_ for the moment they catch one of us putting a toe out of line. You don't know what it's like," she said quietly, staring down at his feet, "to watch someone be tortured – your _friend_. If I can somehow avoid that, I will."

Hannah thought for a moment. "They'll be punished whether they're with us or not," she said finally. "I think we all need to stand together. It's the only way."

"But think about how _young_ Rhima, Nathan, and Mary are," Neville insisted.

"There were fourth years when we started out," she pointed out.

"Yes, but Umbridge was nothing like the Carrows."

"True."

They walked in silence for a little while longer. They came to a bench and, after clearing off some of the remaining snow, Hannah sat down. Neville sat beside her, for some reason a little more nervous then he had been before. The courtyard was so quiet.

"What's changed?" she finally asked.

Neville looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Hannah grinned a little. "Well, before today, you wouldn't look me in the eye."

Neville blushed again, looking down at his hands, clasped firmly in his lap. "Oh – er – I never…" He sighed. "Was it really that obvious?"

Hannah laughed, an easy laugh, like they were friends. "Unfortunately, yes. You'd have thought I'd turned into a Basilisk."

"Sorry," Neville murmured. "I never meant to offend you."

"I'm not offended," she assured him.

"It's just – well – the last time we talked… I wasn't exactly…"

Hannah looked concerned. "After that detention?" she asked softly. "When you arm was…?"

Neville nodded. "Not exactly how I wanted you to see me."

"Neville," Hannah said firmly, "don't you see how wonderful it was to see you like that?"

Neville looked at her, his eyes narrowed, confused. "_Wonderful_?" he repeated.

Hannah nodded, her eyes bright. "You should never be ashamed to be vulnerable. Being vulnerable means you're able to be hurt and being hurt, well – that's what makes us human, isn't it? And being hurt and continuing in spite of it, that's what makes you brave."

Neville looked over at her, his cheeks burning, not knowing what to say. He wanted to tell her how wrong she was, how crying on a staircase seemed anything but _brave_. But she looked so determined, so honest, that he couldn't bring himself to interrupt.

"That's why the Carrows make sure they're never in a situation where they might be venerable," she continued, quietly. "Because _they_ could never be brave like you."

Neville hung his head for a moment, than looked back at her. "I sorry I avoided you," he said finally.

"Oh, that's all right," she said lightly, as if they were talking about the weather. "You'll just have to make up the lost time, won't you?"

Neville smiled. The wind picked up, colouring her cheeks and blowing through her blond hair and right then Neville could think of nothing he'd rather do than spend more time with her.

"How is your arm, by the way?"

"Completely better," he said. "Madam Pomfrey healed it over night. But this," he said, point to a scar on his cheek, "won't go. I guess Dark Magic is harder to erase."

Hannah's brow contracted. She reached over and ran her thumb lightly over the scar. "This is from that day you refused to write that essay wasn't it?"

Neville couldn't find his voice. All he could manage to do was nod.

"Does it hurt?"

He shook his head.

Hannah dropped her hand back onto her lap. "I wish I was bold enough to have done something like that. I wish I were half as good as you."

"I think you're perfect."

And suddenly, it seemed, their faces were much, much closer than they had been, and her head was titled ever so slightly, and than his eyes were closing, and –

"Neville! Nev!"

As quickly as it had begun, they broke apart, looking around for whoever was yelling so excitedly. Neville's face was completely void of any colour, and Hannah seemed to have gone the same shade of red as Neville's scarf.

"Nev! _Neville_!"

The sight was so shocking Neville almost forgot about what had just – nearly – happened: Seamus was bounding up to him, followed by a few other students – and he was _smiling_.

The group stopped in front of the bench. "Neville," Seamus panted, "I'm glad I found you, I…" It seemed to dawn on him that it was just he and Hannah there, both looking rather stunned. "Um, I can – uh – come back later…"

Neville leapt to his feet. "No! No, uh, what is it?"

Seamus' smile faded and, looking down at his feet, he inhaled deeply. "Look, I – uh – wanted to say… I just… I've been acting like a proper prat lately and I wanted to say…" He looked up at Neville, pulling something out his pocket. "Here," he muttered. "Take it. I know it won't fix anything, but…"

Neville flipped the Galleon around in his hand and few times. "Money?" he asked.

"No – we did it," Seamus said, indicating the little knot of people around him. Neville looked at them – Padma Patil, Anthony Goldstein, Jimmy Peaks, and Susan Bones stood huddled in their robes and scarves. "You can send messages now."

Something in Neville's mind clicked. He stared down at the Galleon in awe.

"They heat up, just like before," Seamus explained. "That one's the master one, but they'll all still work with Harry's, too. And if one of us sends a message, it shows up on each coin. It's a code, with numbers. Not too complicated." Seamus shrugged. "But it'll do, I guess."

"You did this?" Neville asked, still amazed.

"We all did," Seamus said. "Anthony nearly camped out in the library for days and Jimmy's brilliant with Transfiguration, so –"

"Oh, come off it," Padma piped up. She looked at Neville. "Seamus barely slept for weeks. He was obsessed with getting those things to work."

Again, Seamus looked down at his feet. "I just thought that, if I gave them to you, you'd be more likely to forgive me."

"Forgive you?" Neville repeated, stupidly.

Seamus nodded. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, mate. It was outta line. People can believe whatever they want to – it doesn't matter what I – "

Seamus couldn't finish. Neville, laughing, had pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "Of course I forgive you! You didn't need to – you could have just – !" Neville laughed again. "Thank you, Seamus!"

Seamus patted his friend's back, smiling. "It's nothing, mate."

Neville, still grinning ear to ear, turned to the rest of the group. "And you lot!" he beamed. "Thank you!" He blinked a few times, thinking. Finally, he said, "but why didn't any of you tell me you were working on this?"

Anthony nodded his head at Seamus. "Swore us to secrecy, didn't he?"

Seamus shrugged.

"He was trying to butter you up, I expect," Susan put in, smirking. "But it looks like he didn't need to."

Neville stood there, still smiling, dumbstruck . It seemed a huge weight had been lifted, the pressure on his chest lessened a bit. It was like coming to the surface and inhaling after holding your breath underwater too long.

"Come on, Nev," Seamus said, swinging his arm around Neville. "It's freezing out here. Let's get some food. I know a corridor with the dimmest Inspector there's ever been – I think a good Tripping Jinx is in order, don't you?"

"Absolutely," Neville nodded.

The group made their way back towards the castle, laughing quietly and talking about how they'd managed to make the Galleons. Neville looked over his shoulder to see if he could at least wave goodbye to Hannah, but Susan had grabbed her by the arm and, whispering furiously, was leading her across the courtyard.

But he smiled to himself.

"_You'll just have to make up the lost time, won't you?"_

He'd make sure he did.

* * *

**AN:** Wow guys, seriously thank you _so much _for the reviews. I've been having a really crummy couple of months and seeing your comments always puts a smile on my face :) Now, for curiousity's sake, could you guys tell me what your favourite and least favourite chapters/parts have been?  
Anyhow, get ready for the metaphorical shit to hit the fan. Things at Hogwarts are about to take a dark turn. Stay tuned for my irratic, random updates!


	16. On The Train

**On The Train**

_A new light came to her eyes are she figured it out, and then a new sadness. She cocked her head to the side as if to say: oh, you can see them, too._

Xenophilius Lovegood had the trader make a special delivery. He had to pay extra, of course, but it was worth it.

"Right over there, just there," he said, pointing past the heaps of debris to one of the few uncovered spaces on the floor. "Set it down right there, and I'll hang it up later."

The two men the trader had brought with him began to lower the Crumple Horned Snorkack horn.

"Careful," the trader hissed. "Gently! Gently!"

The trader's name was Desmond Slizt. Xenophilius was impressed with the care that he treated the horn with. After all, Xeno had already paid for it – any other trader would have just flung it at him and run off to spend his Galleons, but Desmond was different. Xeno smiled at his excellent choice, inwardly impressed at his ability to read people.

Once the horn was down, Desmond and his men turned to leave. Xenophilius stuck out his hand. "Thank you once again for coming all the way out here. I'm not the most popular man at the moment. It would have been rather foolish of me to go wander around Diagon Alley."

One of the movers grumbled something under his breath about Harry Potter, foolishness, and curses, but the other covered it with a loud cough before punching him in the arm.

The trader quickly shook Xeno's hand. "No trouble," he grinned slyly. "No trouble. Just mind you don't bump anything when you mount it."

The two men behind them gave a wheezy laugh, which they quickly stifled when Desmond shot them an angry look.

Xeno didn't mind. "Don't worry about that. I'm a serious collector; I know how to treat such important pieces. And besides, it's a gift for my little Luna – I've got to keep it in perfect shape until she comes home for Christmas."

Desmond looked startled. "A gift? You mean it's not just you in this house?"

"Most of the time it is," Xeno sighed. "Luna is off at Hogwarts, you see."

Desmond glanced back at the horn, then to Xeno, looking as if he were thinking very hard about something. "Just a little girl?"

"No so little anymore. They grow up so fast. She looks so like her mother now," he sighed, smiling at little.

"What's she going to do with it?" Desmond asked, sounding oddly nervous.

"Oh, don't worry!" Xeno cried, clasping the man on t he shoulder. "Luna knows just how valuable a Crumple Horned Snorkack horn is! She'll keep it in the best of shape, I assure you."

Desmond stood there for a moment. He slipped his hand in his pocket and felt the heavy, cold Galleons he had just earned there. A grin spread over his face. "I'm sure she will. And what a nice father," he added for good measure, "getting his daughter such a wonderful gift!"

Xeno smiled. "Oh, I'd do anything for my Luna."

"I'm sure you would. Happy Christmas." With that, Desmond Slizt and his men turned and left, leaving Xeno staring happily at the Crumple Horned Snorkack horn and counting the days until his daughter came home.

* * *

"You've got your Galleons?"

"Yes, Neville."

"And your wands are where you can reach them?"

"Yes, Neville."

"And you remember the code we're using?"

"Yes, Neville."

"And you –"

"Merlin's beard, Neville!" Ginny cried. "You sound like my mother! You're acting like we've never taken the train before."

Neville sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried." He looked from Luna to Ginny and back again. "You haven't forgotten your –"

"_Neville_."

"Sorry, sorry."

The three of them stood in the Entrance Hall beside the queue forming in front of the Inspectors – they checked everything coming in and out of Hogwarts. Other Inspectors stood menacingly around the Hall, watching the other students as they said their last goodbyes to their friends staying at school for the holidays.

Neville was one of the people staying behind. He just couldn't bring himself to leave, not when things were this bad. Someone needed to stay behind and make sure the Carrows didn't destroy everything before the New Year.

Ginny felt guilty; she thought she ought to stay behind as well, but it made sense for her to go home. All of the letters that came into or left Hogwarts were screened, so there might be information and Harry and the others, or the Order, that her family knew and hadn't been able to tell her yet. A small, childish part of her even hoped that Harry, Ron, and Hermione might have decided to take a break from saving the world and have Christmas at home.

Luna would have stayed behind if Neville had wanted her to, but he didn't have the heart to ask her. She was so excited to see her father that he couldn't keep her away from him. He knew she was worried, that the Quibbler was falling into the wrong hands and Xenophilius was becoming a target.

"We should get going," Ginny sighed, glancing at the ever-lengthening queue, "or we'll be stuck here for hours."

Luna nodded. "You're sure you'll be all right here on your own?" she asked Neville, her wide, blue eyes a little sad.

Neville nodded. "Of course I will. Besides, I'm not on my own – Seamus is staying behind as well."

"And Hannah," Ginny added with a smile. She turned to Luna. "Did you notice, Luna? There's mistletoe just in front the library."

"Is there really? That's interesting. You know what you should do, Neville?" she asked, smiling too. "You should really read up over the holiday. Catch up on all your studies, you know."

Ginny nodded. "Spend loads of time in the library."

"Or in front of it."

"You never know how you might run into."

Neville glared at them. "Shut it, the pair of you."

The girls laughed. "We're only joking, Neville," Luna said. "Don't be upset."

Neville couldn't help but smile at her. "I'm not upset. I'm used to the two of you taking the mickey out of me by now."

Heavy footsteps behind them made the three of them stop laughing and look up. An Inspector with a crooked nose that looked recently broken and beady, gray eyes looked down at them. "Hurry up," he growled. "What are you doing, standing here wasting time and space? Get a bloody move on."

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't see the line moving very fast. The way I figure, we'd waste as much time waiting there are we would standing here."

The Inspector glared at her for a moment, than a grin cracked the lower half of his face, revealing broken, greying teeth. "Pretty ones like you always think you can talk _however_ they like, _whenever_ they like. I see two solutions to this problem: make you a lot less pretty or make you stop talking for good. And I got some pretty good ideas how I could do both."

Ginny had her wand out before Neville even began to fumble in his pocket for his.

"Take that back," Luna said. "She hasn't done anything wrong."

"Borden!" someone called from the Great Hall. "Borden, the Headmaster wants to see us – something about the Dementors at the kitchens!"

The Inspector turned and looked at the man who had called him. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Oh, right – I'll just tell Snape to _wait_, shall I? Move your arse now or it'll be both our jobs – and that's if we're lucky!"

The Inspector called Borden turned back to Ginny and the others, angry lines creasing his weathered face. But after a moment his face softened back into a rotten smile. "Perhaps I'll see you after the holidays. In fact, I'll keep an eye out – not likely to miss you with that sweet face and all that ginger hair, now am I?"

Ginny said nothing, but gripped her wand tighter and raised it towards him.

"Happy Christmas." With that, he turned and left for the Great Hall.

Ginny lowered her wand and Neville let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in.

"I hate them," Ginny muttered, shoving her wand back into her pocket.

"They _are_ rather awful," Luna agreed, nodding. "But maybe they'll be gone after Christmas."

"I doubt it," Neville sighed.

"I mean, I doubt they'd ever actually _do_ something," Ginny said, as the three of them began walking to the end of the queue, "they won't risk Jinxing some big Ministry worker's kid. They're just Snape's little sneaks – but I still hate them."

The others nodded, as Luna and Ginny stepped into line. "You're sure you don't want to come over?" Ginny asked Neville. "Mum said it would be fine, said she'd love to have you – and your Gran, too."

Neville shook his head. "Tell her no, but thank you. I feel like I need to be here."

Ginny bit her lower lip. "Maybe I should stay, too... with so many of us gone..."

Neville shook his head. "No! You need to go home and talk to your family. Who knows what they've been up to?" He said it casually, almost as if it were a joke, but the three of them knew he meant it seriously – who knew what the Weasley family had been doing all year?

The line began to move. Ginny gave Neville a quick, one-armed hug, holding onto her trunk with the other. "I'll tell them all you said hello – and let you know what they say."

Neville nodded. He looked at her hard for a moment as they same thought passed through each of their heads: _maybe the three of them are there._

Neville was shaken out of his thoughts by Luna. She had flung her arms around his neck and was hugging him tightly. He patted her back awkwardly at first, but finally smiled, hugging her back. "I hope you're able to have a good Christmas!" she said, still squeezing him. "I'll bring back some of my Plimpy soup – it's a wonderful recipe, I know you'll love it."

Neville laughed. "Thanks, Luna."

They let go of each other and Luna got back into line with Ginny. It was nearly their turn to be screened. Neville watched, his blood boiling, as two rough Inspectors poked and prodded them, searching the trucks, and emptying their pockets. Each time the Inspector grabbed one of the DA Galleons, Neville's heart skipped a beat. But each time it was handed back to the girls with hardly so much as a second glance.

Finally, Ginny and Luna stepped outside. They stopped for a moment, turned back, and waved to Neville, who waved back. Then they were gone.

* * *

"But I told Daddy the blue ones just wouldn't do, so he gave in and brought me the red ones. They were extra, of course, but I don't care. I look fantastic in them. And... I was thinking... I was thinking maybe you could wear some red as well? Then we could match. And you know how handsome you look in red."

"Yeah, sure. I'll tell him."

Pansy put her hands on her hips. "Draco Malfoy, are you listening to a word I'm saying?"

Draco shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at her. "Yeah – of course. Er – Quidditch."

"I'm talking about the Final Ball!" she whined. "What we're going to wear, remember?"

"Yeah, sure. Blue robes."

"No! I just told you! Red ones now, _red ones_!"

"Fine. Whatever."

Pansy was annoyed, but began to prattle on again. Draco looked straight ahead. He, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle were headed towards the carriages that would take them to the Hogwarts Express. As they neared them, Draco saw the shadowy, looming figures of the Thestrals as the nosed the ground of stretched their spidery wings. They stood out strikingly against the snow.

They were horrible, ugly creatures and Draco couldn't understand why Hogwarts used them at all. Horses would have worked just fine, in his opinion.

Beside him, Crabbed bent down and grabbed a handful of snow, packing it into a ball. "Think I can hit Weasley from here?" he asked, nudging Goyle.

Draco looked away from the Thestrals for a moment to the people on the path ahead of them. There were a few third year Ravenclaws, then Weasley, Lovegood, and some girl Draco recognized from the Gryffindor Quidditch team last year.

"She'll hex you," Goyle said.

Crabbe shrugged his thick shoulders. "I'll hex her back."

"It's no use. She better than you," Draco pointed out.

Crabbe scowled at him. "Whose side you on, anyway?"

Pansy crossed her arms. "You think she's _that_ good at magic?" she asked pointedly, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't know you thought so highly of her."

"I don't, I've just know she's good at hexing people."

"Do it," Goyle urged Crabbe, "there are Inspectors up ahead. They won't let her do anything."

Crabbed nodded, grinning stupidly. He lobbed the snowball in front of him, but it fell short.

"Another," Goyle said.

Again, Crabbed packed a snowball and threw it, further this time, but still a few feet short. It had gone further left then Crabbe had expected and landed at the feet of the dark Thestral. It tossed its head and dug its hoof into the snow, annoyed.

"Cut it out," Draco snapped, still eyeing the beast.

"Why? I almost had her!"

"You didn't – you nearly hit –"

Crabbe launched another snowball. It went far enough, but was still too much to the left. It hit the Thestral leading the carriage that Weasley, Lovegood, and the other girl were about to step into. The Thestral swung its head around, but because it wore a harness, it couldn't move as much as it wanted. Upset, the creature reared up, punching its front hooves in the cold air in front of it.

Draco's eyes widened, horrified, as he imagined what would happen if a beast that was invisible to nearly everyone was loose and angry. "You idiot!" he cried. "You hit it! You hit it!"

"Hit what?"

But Draco wasn't paying attention. Luna Lovegood was talking to the Thestral, as it still flung its head from side to side. She placed her hands on its side and stroked it calmly, as Weasley and the girl looked on, confused and impressed.

Weasley turned to find who had thrown the snowball. She was angry and Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly at her, oblivious to anything Luna was doing.

Lovegood turned her head, too. She caught Draco looking at her. She stared at him for a moment, looked to the Thestral she was still patting, than back at him. A new light came to her eyes are she figured it out, and then a new sadness. She cocked her head to the side as if to say _oh, you can see them, too._

Draco's eyes flicked for the fraction of a second to the Thestral, and then back to Lovegood. He caught himself wondering who she had seen die, but stopped.

He didn't want to care. He looked over at Crabbe and Goyle and laughed with them.

* * *

Draco was flustered when he got on the train. He felt fidgety and too warm and suddenly the compartment he shared with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy seemed much smaller than it ever had before.

He stood up abruptly and left, loosening his collar as he did. He'd fine Blaise, or Daphne... even Nott would do. Or maybe he'd just sit by himself, it didn't matter.

He walked through the corridor, trying to make his way past students loaded with trunks and books and cages. It was so loud – had the train ever been this load before?

_Of course it has, it's always loud. Calm down._

He loosened his collar again.

"Hey, watch it," someone spat as Draco pushed past. He turned back and saw a Hufflepuff girl with long dark hair he didn't recognize at first. Beside her was the boy he had knocked into. It took a while for Draco to place where he had seen them before. When he did, his heart jumped into his throat.

Another girl stepped forward, a cage with a little brown owl loaded in her arms. "Nathan, I was just thinking –" She stopped short when she saw Draco.

The boy straightened up, glaring at him.

_Rhima, Nathan, and Mary._

Draco turned on his heal and ignored them, pretending he couldn't hear them talking angrily about him as he left.

"_He was there!"_

"_I'll kill him."_

"_Don't go picking fights, not now."_

"_I don't care, I hate him."_

He didn't want to deal with them. They were only Hufflepuffs, he told himself. And one of them was probably a Mudblood.

He sighed and ran his hand over his face, still thinking about the damned Thestrals. Nott knew, Longbottom knew, and now Lovegood knew. He didn't know why he wanted to keep it a secret – that he had seen death; he felt it should be something to be proud of, something that proved he was part of this war.

Maybe that's why he hated it so much.

But everyone knew that anyway. Most of them believed he had been there when Dumbledore died – if he lifted his let sleeve it wouldn't shock anyone.

What it really was, he realized, still walking aimlessly down the narrow hall, was that he didn't want anyone to ask about it. It was only a matter of time before it happened – "who did you see die?"

He couldn't avoid remembering it in his sleep, but he'd be damned if he had to remember it when he was awake, too.

"Are you really in such a hurry you wouldn't stop to help a lady?"

Confused, Draco turned around to see Astoria Greengrass dragging a massive trunk and holding onto two bulging bags. "No really," she panted, "don't mind me. I'm fine. You go on."

Draco smiled at her, hoping he looked charming instead of sweaty and nervous.

He grabbed the trunk from her. "I didn't take you for the type of lady who ever needed help, that's all."

"Oh, I don't – not really. But I like to pretend."

Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Gives boys a chance to try and impress me," she explained.

Draco laughed. "I would have thought you'd have a line of them all clamouring to help you, then."

Astoria shrugged. "One is better. Much easier to keep track of."

"I see. In that case, how am I doing?"

"Better than all the other boys who tried to help me."

Draco tried to keep a suave, collected look on his face and not to seem too pleased with himself.

"But considering you're the only one, I'm not sure how much that's saying."

Draco laughed again, happy for a moment to be distracted from wars and Thestrals and Dark Marks and Luna Lovegood. "Don't make me regret helping you."

Astoria sighed melodramatically. "And here I was," she said, shaking her head, "thinking you had single-handedly revived chivalry..."

Draco smiled again, looking at her. She was different than her sister, almost in the way his mother was different from his aunt; Daphne had light brown hair and a fair complexion, whereas Astoria's hair and eyes were dark, her skin a rich olive colour. She was beautiful, easily the prettiest girl in her year, and very sharp for someone so young. Draco liked her.

"Are you hiding out from Crabbe and Goyle?" she asked.

Draco nodded, shifting the trunk and hoping she wouldn't see how much he was straining to keep it up.

"What about Pansy?"

"Especially Pansy."

Astoria smiled. "Stop," she said suddenly, "I'm sitting here." She flung open the door of a compartment. Three girls, all in Slytherin robes, were already sitting there. They all looked up when Astoria and Draco walked in. They stopped talking and stared at Draco, each arranging her hair and smoothing out her robes when he wasn't looking.

Draco heaved the trunk up onto the shelf and Astoria dropped her bags down. She followed him to the door and leaned in the doorframe as he stood in the hall.

"You don't happen to know where your sister is, do you? Or Zabini or Bulstrode?"

She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, her eyes narrowed, as if she were trying to figure something out. "You really _are_ hiding out from your friends, aren't you?"

Draco faked a laugh. "I told you I was."

Astoria shook her head. "I don't know where they are, sorry."

Draco shrugged. "It doesn't matter, I'll just go back. Have a good Christmas." He turned to leave.

"Draco?"

He spun back around. "Yes?"

"You could do better than them."

"What do you mean?"

Astoria cast around for the right words. "It's just... you're not like them. You don't have to be like them. You can do better."

"And exactly who is 'better'?"

Astoria shrugged. "I don't know. Might be across the planet – might be right under your nose."

* * *

"That is bollocks about Hogsmede," Demelza Robbins said to Ginny. "Completely unfair."

Ginny nodded. "I know. It only took a few days for Amycus's face to go back to normal. I'm going mental locked up in that castle, I swear."

"There isn't much going on there, to be honest," said Ernie MacMillan. "Everyone is staying inside, avoiding the Dementors. Did you know they've got Dementors there now?"

"They got Dementors everywhere," Ginny sighed. She looked over at Luna sitting across from her, next to Ernie. Beside her was Demelza and next to Demelza was Zacharias Smith, who was staring sullenly out the window.

"At least you can conjure a Patronus," Demelza said to Ginny. "I never learned. Of course, I _could_ learn, if you'd let me join."

"Join?" Ernie repeated, sitting up straighter and looking accusingly from Ginny to Luna. "Did you two tell her? I thought no one else was supposed to know!"

"About Dumbledore's Army?" Demelza asked innocently. "Oh, everyone knows."

"Great," Zacharias huffed, "now we'll all get turned in – I bet you've still got that bloody list floating around, haven't you?"

"Oh yes. In fact, I tacked up in front of the Great Hall," Ginny explained, "just in case anyone was curious."

Zacharias stared at her, wide eyed. "_What_?"

Luna leaned forward. "She's joking," she explained calmly. "It's sometimes hard to tell when she is, I know, but she would never leave the list there."

"Joking. Oh yes, how _funny_, us risking our lives and all. How am I not laughing?"

"Because you're an annoying git, probably," Ginny snapped.

"All right, all right," Demelza sighed from between them. "It's a long enough ride without all this bickering."

Ginny glared at him a while longer, until Zacharias slumped against the window again.

"You can always quit, you know," she told him crossly. "Give Demelza your Galleon and be done with it."

"I thought Neville said we shouldn't allow new members," Ernie insisted. "He has a point – we can't just go letting _anyone_ in."

"You think I'd turn you in or something?" Demelza asked, sounded both annoyed and hurt.

"No," Ernie said quickly, "of course not, but –"

Suddenly, the train lurched to a violent stop, pushing Luna and Ernie against the backs of the seats and throwing the other three forward.

"What the hell?" Zacharias gasped, looking around wildly.

Ginny felt for her wand inside her pocket.

"Why have we stopped?" Demelza asked, looking around.

"Only one time I remember the train ever stopping," Ernie said darkly. "And that's when a whole band of Dementors came abroard."

"I remember," Ginny said quietly. "Take out your wands, all of you."

They waited in silence for a few moments, each straining to listen to clues and casting each other nervous glances.

"It might be nothing," Demelza said, rationally. "Maybe we've broken down, or maybe something's blocking the tracks."

"Doubt it," Ginny muttered.

The door flung open with a _bang_ and all of them jumped.

"Anyone reckon they know what's happened?"

Each of them let out a sigh of relief as they recognized Terry Boot.

"You can't just go bursting into places like that!" Ernie cried, clutching his chest. "You just about gave me heart failure!"

"And I nearly jinxed you," Ginny admitted, her heart still hammering wildly.

"Sorry," Terry said quickly.

"We don't know why we've stopped," Luna said. "You haven't heard anything?"

"No. You'd think they'd make some sort of announcement or something..." Terry muttered. He looked down the hallway. "Everything seems normal..." He stepped into the compartment, shut the door behind him, and sat down next to Luna.

"Should one of you go talk to the driver?" Zacharias asked.

"One of us?" Ginny snapped. "You've got working legs, haven't you?"

"It was just an idea," he muttered, glaring at her.

"Will you two give it a rest?" Demelza asked, exasperated.

"Not when he's going to –" Ginny began.

"Shut up," spat Terry.

"But he always –"

"No, really!" he cried, waving his arms at her, "shut up! Listen!"

The six of them were silent for a moment. "I don't hear anything," Luna finally whispered.

Terry screwed up his face, listening hard. "I'm sure I heard..."

"Footsteps," breathed Ernie, his eyes wide with fear. "I hear them, too."

Sure enough, heavy footfalls somewhere outside drew nearer and nearer. Every so often they would stop and there would be a few muffled voices, then they'd continue, getting clearer and clearer.

"They're headed this way," Zacharias whispered.

"Everyone keep a happy thought in the back of your mind," Ernie muttered, clutching his wand, "just in case."

The door slid open.

Two men stood in the doorway. Ginny recognized them from the wanted posters that used to plaster Diagon Ally and Hogsmede.

_Death Eaters. _

"We're looking for Luna Lovegood," one of the rasped.

No one spoke. They stared at the broad, looming figures in front of them blocking the door. Ginny racked her memory and their names came back to her – Mulciber and Macnair.

"Luna Lovegood," Mulciber repeated. "A little Ravenclaw." They both glared down at Terry and Luna, the only two students there with the Ravenclaw crest sown into their robes, through dark eyes with heavy purple, bruised-looking bags beneath them.

"She's not here," Ginny said defiantly. "Luna decided to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas."

The other Death Eater, Macnair, smiled at her, one of this bottom teeth missing. "_Liar_. Tell me where she is and I won't punish you for that."

Mulciber nudged his companion, who was still glaring down at Ginny through narrowed, sunken eyes. "I bet anything that's the Weasley girl. You're name Weasley?" he asked Ginny.

"It is."

"Blood traitors, the lot of you," he hissed. "I don't trust a word you say, scum." He looked around at the other students. "Where's Luna Lovegood? We was told she was down on this end of the train."

"Must be some other compartment," Demelza said quietly.

Ernie nodded. "She never sits with us."

But Zacharias's eyes, wide with terror, darted almost imperceptibly to Luna.

Mulciber noticed. The Death Eater stared down at Luna. "Is your name Lovegood, sweetie?" he whispered, leaning down close to her. "Xeno's daughter?"

Luna swallowed hard. She met his eye, but couldn't find her voice.

The Death Eater raised his wand and pointed it at Demelza. "_Suffoco!"_

Demelza's eyes widened as she let out strangled gasp. Her hands flew to her throat and moved around her neck, as if trying to loosen some invisible rope.

"What are you doing to her?" Luna cried.

Demelza's slammed her foot on the floor of the compartment, her mouth open wide as she fought desperately for breath, still clawing at her neck. Her eyes brimmed with tears and Ginny grabbed her arm, wanting to help but having no idea how.

"Are you Luna now, girlie?" Mulciber growled.

Demelza spluttered and choked, her cheeks now tinged with blue.

Luna nodded, her eyes almost wide and terrified as Demelza's. "Yes, yes, it's me! You've found me. Just stop doing that – let her go!"

"No!" Ginny cried, turning away from Demelza. "She's lying!"

"You're next," Macnair growled, his wand out.

"Get up," Mulciber ordered Luna.

Luna stood.

"No!"

Ginny had jumped up out of her seat, her wand aimed at Mulciber. Macnair stepped forward and pressed his wand to her neck. "Sit down, filth!"

Mulciber tried to seize Luna by the neck of her robes, but Terry stood up between them.

"_Stupefy_," Mulciber hissed, finally pointing his wand away from Demelza and fixing it on Terry.

Terry fell to the ground, hard. Luna screamed. Demelza, her eyes closed and her breathing shallow, slumped over onto Zacharias's shoulder, who tried to shake her awake. Ernie rushed over to her, his wand pointed at the Death Eaters still in the doorway.

"Let's go!" roared Mulciber, dragging Luna over Terry's body and out into the hall.

Ginny followed. She opened her mouth to Curse Mulciber, but Macnair was too quick. "Expelliarmus!" he cried. Ginny's wand flew from her hand and clattered to the ground, rolling down the hall. He laughed as Ginny stared at her empty hand, trying desperately to figure out what to do next.

"Stay put, if you know what's good for you," Mulciber warned Ginny. "I got no problem tellin' 'em that you got in our way and we had to choice but to... _take care of you_."

Macnair laughed again. "We're just waiting for the chance! I'd love to rid the world of a Weasley, would you Mulciber?"

"Ginny, go!" Luna cried.

Mulciber grabbed a fist full of Luna's hair and began dragging her down the hall, towards the front of the train.

Ginny sprinted after them.

"What did I say?" Macnair growled. "_Crucio_!"

Ginny screamed. Blurred faces appeared in the windows of other compartments, but no one dared open their doors.

Ernie ran out of their compartment, looking around wildly. He saw Ginny on the floor, doubled over in pain and rushed to her.

Macnair smiled to himself as Ginny's rigid form went limp on the ground.

"No!" Luna screamed, tears streaming down her face. She tried to run over to where Ernie was bent over Ginny, but Mulciber held her back.

Ginny stirred. "Are you all right?" Ernie whispered. He was shaking all over – it was the first time he had seen that Curse used on anyone. It was horrifying.

Ginny swallowed hard, her eyes fluttering dazedly. "Fine," she lied.

Luna cried out as she struggled against Mulciber. Macnair roughly grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her forward. "No!" she screamed. "No!"

"Luna," Ginny breathed. With Ernie's help, she struggled to her feet. "Let her go!" she ordered, taking a few steps forward.

"I've had just about enough of you!" Mulciber cried. He pushed Luna over to Macnair, who wrapped both his arms around her as she struggled, kicking at his shins.

"Ginny," Ernie whispered, grabbing her wrist. "Stay back."

She pulled herself away from him. "Let her go," she repeated.

"Or what?" Mulciber laughed.

Ginny lunged at him, but Ernie grabbed her, linking his arms around her from behind and holding her back. Mulciber took a step towards them, his twisted, dark wand pointed at Ginny's chest. "Enough," he said calmly, "if you keep this up, I'll skip all the Curses I know and kill you straight away. Understand?"

Ginny said nothing, but continued to struggle against Ernie. "He's serious!" Ernie hissed at her. "Ginny, think about this!"

"Let go of me, MacMillian!" she cried. Her hair stuck to her sweaty, tear-streaked face as she tried to pull away from him. But the Curse had weakened her; already she felt she was going to collapse again.

"Mulciber!" Macnair cried. Luna kicked and screamed and struggled and he had to twist and fight to keep her in his grasp. "Can't we just Curse her? She ain't comin' quiet!"

"No!" Mulciber spat. "You remember the job – we can't hurt her."

"Then how are we supposed to _do_ this?"

"Luna!" Ginny cried.

"Ginny!" Luna cried back. "Ginny!"

"Hold her still," Mulciber told Macnair. He raised his wand. Luna screamed.

"No!" Ginny pulled with a new strength against Ernie. But he held her tight. "Let me go! I hate you, MacMillan, let me _go_!"

"They'll kill you!" he cried, his voice shaking and panicked.

"Let me go!"

Mulciber aimed at Luna's chest. "_Imperio_."

It hadn't been what Ginny was expecting, and for a moment she was stunned into silence, her eyes fixed on Luna.

Luna blinked rapidly a few times. Macnair still held onto her, but she had stopped struggling. All of her effort went into concentrating on keeping her mind her own.

But her gaze flickered and eyes became clouded.

"Fight it!" Ginny cried, finding her voice again. "Luna, fight it, don't give in!"

Luna looked past Mulciber to Ginny. "Stay with us," Ginny begged. "Stay with me – try!"

Ginny watched as Luna shook with effort, trying desperately to throw off the Curse.

"Imperio!" Mulciber cried again, jabbing his wand towards Luna.

Her round, blue eyes suddenly became unfocused and dull and Ginny knew it was too late.

With a flick of his wand, Mulciber made Luna turn around and start walking towards the front of the train. Macnair laughed, walking behind her. "Much better."

Mulciber looked back at Ginny and Ernie.

Ginny was still screaming.

"You let her go," Mulciber said, just loud enough for Ernie to hear, "and she gets it – understand me, boy?"

Ernie didn't answer, but the terrified look on his face was more than enough.

"Luna!" Ginny screamed. It sounded painful, like her voice was tearing away at the inside of her throat, but she kept on screaming. "Luna! Luna, fight it off, I know you can! Luna!"

Luna stopped and turned around.

Ginny gasped, hopeful.

But Mulciber smiled at her and she knew this was his doing, not Luna's.

Luna raised her hand and waved goodbye, her eyes still eerily opaque. Then she walked calmly down the hall with the two Death Eaters.

Ginny's knees gave out. She crumpled onto the ground, screaming and crying. Ernie felt tears falling down his face, too, but still didn't dare take his arms away from Ginny.

They were gone. They had taken Luna with them.

Ginny wept.

"It's okay," Ernie sobbed, "it's okay, Ginny." He tried to hug her.

Ginny roughly pushed him off of her. She glared at him, her eyes red and swollen. "Get away from me! I hate you, MacMillan. I _hate_ you."

Ernie sat down and slid away from her, wrapping his arms around his knees, feeling small and helpless and terrified. He watched as Ginny doubled over and sobbed Luna's name, not moving again until the train stopped.


	17. Horcrux

**Horcrux**  
_"I have seen your heart, and it is mine."_

Snape crept through the Forest of Dean as silently as possible. The Sword of Gryffindor was tied tightly around his waist, hidden beneath his layers of robes and heavy cloak. Phineas Nigellus had heard Granger say that Potter and his friends were in the forest, but _where_ they were in it, Snape had no clue. But, he reminded himself, it didn't matter. Potter would come to _him_. He was sure of it.

He found the pool quickly. Heavy-looking chunks of ice floated over the calm, black water. Peering into it, Snape hoped that Potter would be able to see the Sword at the very bottom.

Untying it, he held the Sword for a moment, looking it over. It seemed everything revolved around this Sword – why was it so important? He wondered if the Weasley girl knew. Was that why she and her bumbling friends had tried to take it? What wasn't Dumbledore telling him? Resentment swelled in Snape at the thought of Dumbledore trusting a nearly inept seventeen year old boy with this vital information and not him. Hadn't he done more than enough to prove himself over the years?

But he pushed his thoughts aside. It wasn't about having Albus Dumbledore's trust, he reminded himself, it was never about anything except protecting her son – Lily's son.

He dropped the Sword into the water. It sank quickly, lodging itself between the stones and debris that littered the bottom of the pool. There was just enough light from the moon to make the hilt shine, even through the water. Snape raised his wand over the water and reproduced the ice until it covered the pool's entire surface.

That would require enough of Dumbledore's _valour_, he decided.

Snape, as quietly as ever, searched around the surrounding area until he found a place to hide. He needed to make sure Potter got the Sword. Eventually he settled on standing in the shadows behind two thick oak trees. There was a small gap between them that gave him a clear view of the pool.

Snape raised his wand. "Expecto Patronum," he whispered.

And with the same pang of guilt and regret he always felt when he saw it, he watched the Silver Doe glide away.

Of course it wasn't long before it came back with Potter.

_Stupid boy_, Snape thought bitterly as he watched him come up to the pool. _If this were a trap, I'd already have you._

And _this_ was Dumbledore's hero.

Snape watched the boy try to summon the Sword and, realizing there was no other way, strip down and prepare to dive in. Snape saw a locket gleam as it hung around Potter's neck. An odd thing to wear while hiding out in a forest, Snape thought.

After breaking the ice, Potter jumped into the frigid water.

Snape leaned forward as much as he could, peering through the darkness. The water's surface began to settle. Unaware that he was doing it, Snape held his breath.

Where was he? Why didn't he come up?

The boy could swim, he knew. And the Sword couldn't be too heavy for him – he had apparently wielded it when he was twelve years old.

Still, Potter did not come back up.

Snape's mind reeled. He couldn't let the boy die – Dumbledore, in all his saint-like glory, had already planned Potter's death out and _this_ was not how it was supposed to happen. But if he rescued him, Potter would know it was he who planted the Sword and his cover would be blown. The Dark Lord would be able to look into Potter's mind and see his betrayal as clearly as anything.

Snape cursed the boy's utter stupidity and lack of discipline – if he were only capable of learning Occlumency, he would be free to save his life!

Snape stepped out of the shadows. He wouldn't let Lily's son die, not like this.

But something stopped him.

A figure came racing through the forest, tearing wildly past trees and through the thorny underbrush.

Snape quickly drew back into his hiding place, but for the fraction of a second, the figure turned towards him, as if he had heard something.

It was Weasley, Snape realized. Ron Weasley.

The boy dived in and dragged Potter, spluttering and choking, out of the water. Weasley held the Sword in his hand.

Snape sighed to himself. Not exactly what he had planned, but it would do.

The boys stood and spoke for awhile. Snape wished they would leave so that he could make his escape. He'd have to sneak back out of the forest like he had sneaked in – surely they would hear him if he Apparated.

But their conversation suddenly caught his full attention.

"I did think I saw something move over there..." Weasley said.

Snape hovered a few feet in the air, suddenly more grateful than ever for his new ability. Yes, it was just another symbol of how close he was to the Dark Lord, but it had saved his life more than once now. Backing away from his spot, Snape quickly used his wand to clear away any prints he had left in the snow.

After looking around for a moment, the boys seemed satisfied that they were alone.

Idoits.

Snape knew he should leave, continue to float soundlessly out of the forest and make it back to the castle. Although it was the Christmas holiday, there were still enough students there to make trouble – he cursed Longbottom especially – and the Carrows would consider it a fine gift to themselves to punish them in his absence.

But although he couldn't hear them, what the two boys were doing had him transfixed.

Weasley, not Potter, had the Sword and they were standing over that locket.

It opened.

A voice suddenly filled the air around them. It was high and cold and horribly familiar.

"_I have seen your heart, and it is mine."_

His mouth was dry as an involuntary shiver ran violently down Snape's spine. For the fraction of a second, he thought he had been discovered – Lord Voldemort had found him, would expose him in front of Potter, and murder him before he killed the boy.

But, to his absolute confusion, the voice addressed _Ron Weasley_.

"What kind of magic...?" Snape whispered to himself, narrowing his eyes and staring at the boy with the Sword hanging in his hands.

But as the voice continued, Snape couldn't help but feel at least some of its words were meant for him. _"...second best, always, eternally overshadowed..."_

He cringed, shutting his eyes tight as if that would block out the voice. Second best, always. Always.

_Always_.

He opened them again when he heard Potter shout. "Ron, stab it now!"

The reality of the situation suddenly hit him. He had no idea what that locket was, but he knew it was exceptionally evil.

Snape's eyes widened in horror as he watched two shimmering figures rise like smoke from the locket. It was difficult to see from where he was situated, but after a moment he realized – to his utter bewilderment and confusion – that the figures were the strangely distorted forms of Potter and Granger.

And then they spoke.

Soon, much of what had happened in the forest became clear to Snape. Weasley had left them, and was trying now to return. Snape sought the boy's face through the darkness, and although it was difficult to see, it was clear he was terrified. His eyes were glued to the shimmering, terrible figures before him.

_He doesn't stand a chance_, Snape thought. How could he? Already, the strange power of these somehow magnetic yet repulsive apparitions had him transfixed.

The Granger figure spoke now. She was chillingly beautiful, but terrifying and her words were like a beautiful song you'd once heard in the middle of a horrible dream.

"_Who wouldn't prefer him, what woman would take you?"_

Snape's eyes widened – what was this monstrous magic that took his worst fears and made them real?

"_You are nothing, nothing, nothing to him."_

The two phantom figures moved closer to each other. Snape fixed his eyes on Weasley as they did. The torment on his face was too familiar to Snape. It was the look of a man who was nothing, nothing, _nothing_.

Snape lowered his head. He did not want to see how the thing would kill the two boys.

"Do it, Ron!" Potter cried. "Ron - ?"

The note of fear in his voice made Snape looked up.

There was a flurry of movement as Weasley heaved the Sword up. An icy wind blew the snow around and for a moment there was panic and confusion as Weasley moved forward.

The thing screamed, a noise that haunted Snape long afterwards.

But he had done it.

Even, seemingly, to Potter's surprise, Weasley had stabbed the locket and destroyed the ghastly figures. He dropped to his knee and cried.

Snape knew it was his time to leave. His heart racing, he floated deep into the forest, far away from where Potter stood over Weasley, talking quietly about something Snape never heard.

It was the first and only time in his life that Severus Snape pitied Ron Weasley. When the Harry-figure spoke, it sounded hauntingly like James Potter.

* * *

Later that night Snape sat behind his desk in the Headmaster's study, smoothing out the picture of Lily Evans he had taken from Grimmauld Place.

She was so beautiful.

He didn't tell Dumbledore what he was seen, though he had questioned Snape about why he had taken so long. Let _him_ be the one to wonder about something, for once.

Snape looked longingly down at the photograph as Lily laughed up at him and he wondered – could he have done it? Could he have destroyed an image of Lily Evans?

No. But it was different, for him.

Running his fingers over her hair, he thought about how Weasley could find Granger, see her, talk to her, touch her.

Images were all that were left of Lily.

* * *

**AN**: Wow! Thank you all again _so much_ for your reviews! They seriously make my day, so thank you al so, so much :)  
Not sure when the next chapter will be up. It's probably going to be a long one, so it might take me some time. I am the slowest writer on the planet :S But please stay tuned!  
To **beenotafraid** - I know, I have the worst spelling and grammer in the world, sorry! I read it over and it looks fine, and then I post it and find 938934 mistakes. I need an editor :/  
To **Analie209** - the issue of new members will be brought up, don't worry :) 


	18. Dumbledore's Army, Still Recruiting

**Dumbledore's Army, Still Recruiting  
**_"How can we do this without her?"_

_"I'm coming with you."_

_"You're not Seamus, just leave it."_

_"How do you expect to get on by yourself? You need someone to –"_

_"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I've made up my mind." _

_Seamus sighed angrily and crossed his arms, but said nothing else for the moment. He and Dean sat in Dean's room a few days before school began. Dean was carefully folding clothes and packing them into a heavy-looking rucksack. _

_Downstairs, Dean's mother was talking to one of his sisters. She laughed at something and Seamus saw Dean cast a sad look towards the door._

_"Have you told them you're leaving yet?" Seamus asked._

_Dean shook his head. "It's better if they don't know. It's safer."_

_"Look who's preaching about safety," Seamus began. "The boy ready to wander off into the wild with no plan, no guide, and nothing but –"_

_"If you've got a better idea," Dean snarled, "I'd love to hear it."_

_"I do have one – bringing me along with you!"_

_"I already said no. Look," Dean said, his voice softer as he looked over at his friend, "I'm leaving tonight. I don't want to fight right now."_

_Seamus sighed and looked down at his feet. "I'm worried about you, is all," he muttered._

_Dean smiled bravely at him. "Worried about me? No need, mate. Don't you remember the Quidditch World Cup? Who was it who was able to find his way back to the tent through that maze of people each time when you kept getting us lost? I'll be fine."_

_But Seamus didn't smile back. He stood up and paced the length of the room a few times. "You're my best mate. I'm coming with you. I've made up my mind." _

_Dean closed his eyes and sighed. "Seamus, we've been through this a thousand times. It's dangerous and I don't want –"_

_"I don't care if it's dangerous! I'm going with you and you can't –"_

_"Let me finish!" Dean cried. "I don't want you with me because you'll slow me down! One person can move quicker than two and you – you've got no sense of direction at all, you're no good with cooking or hunting or anything that would be useful. You'd just take up time and supplies! I don't _want_ you to come!"_

_Seamus stared at him, his mouth slightly open. "Excuse me?" he finally managed._

_Dean slammed his fist down onto his desk. "Damn it Seamus, it was plain English, wasn't it?"_

_The boys stood on opposite sides of the room, glaring at each other._

_"Dean? Seamus?" Dean's mother called from down the stairs. "Everything all right? I heard shouting."_

_"Fine, Mum," Dean called back, though he never took his eyes from Seamus._

_"All right," Seamus muttered, his throat tighter than he'd ever admit. "Fine, if you don't want me, you can go it alone."_

_"Good," Dean spat. He hid his full rucksack beneath his bed and sat on it. "I tried to be tactful about it but – "_

_"But I'm useless and you don't want me around," Seamus finished for him. "How was that for tact?"_

_"Terrible. But at least you've finally got that through your skull."_

_A sudden knock at the door made them both jump._

_Dean's youngest sister stood in the doorway. "Hi Seamus," she grinned, batting her eyelashes animatedly._

_"Hi," Seamus muttered._

_She turned to Dean. "Mum says dinner is ready and you two have to come down."_

_Dean jumped up and put his arm about his sister. "Sounds good. Did you help make it?"_

_"Yes. I make green beans with garlic because I know they're Seamus's favourite." She flashed Seamus another grin. _

_Any other day, the boys would have had a good laugh at this, but now all Seamus could do was glare at the back of Dean's head._

_Dean patted his sister's shoulder. "What, you don't want to make _me_ my favourite food?" he teased._

_She made a face. "You like mushrooms. I hate those. But I _love_ green beans." Another grin at Seamus._

_Dean laughed. "Fair enough. You go ahead; we'll be down in a minute."_

_Turning on her heel, the girl skipped out of the room._

_Dean turned back to Seamus. "Will you look after them?" he asked in a small voice. "As best you can? When I'm gone?"_

_All of his anger melted away as Dean looked pleadingly at him, his eyes shining too brightly. "Of course," he replied. "Come on, let's just have dinner. You heard her – green beans."_

_Dean shot him a half grin and the two boys headed for the door and down the stairs._

_"Seamus?"_

_"Mmmh?"_

_"You're my best mate, too."_

* * *

If Neville had gone home for the holidays, he would have been able to see his parents. He felt horribly guilty, imagining them waiting for him to show up on Christmas morning – despite the fact that his grandmother assured him they wouldn't notice a thing.

Neville knew they would. Their minds might have faded, but minds and hearts are two different things.

Still, he felt sure that if his parents knew why he had stayed behind, they would be proud. He and Seamus had been distracting Inspectors for days, helping students to sneak in Muggle paraphernalia, passing out illegal copies of the Quibbler, and whispering passwords to Potterwatch. It really wasn't much, but each broken rule felt like a huge victory.

Neville looked at Seamus across the dormitory, where they both sat cross-legged on their beds. Seamus had finally told Neville more about the night Dean had left.

"You're not useless," Neville said softly after Seamus had finished his story. "I expect he only said that so you wouldn't go along with him. He was trying to – you know – keep you out of harm's way."

Seamus shrugged, pulling at his shoelaces. "Maybe. He was quite nice to me the rest of the evening. Didn't want the last conversation between us to have been a row, I suppose. I stayed for a while, but I left fairly early. Wanted to give him time with his family, y' know?"

Neville nodded. "And they didn't know anything?"

Seamus shook his head. "Dean kept it a complete secret. It was hard for him, but he wanted to protect them."

"Have you spoken to them since he left?"

"Yeah," Seamus nodded. "Did you know, in Hogsmede they've got a Muggle letterbox?"

"A what?"

"It's what Muggles use for the post," Seamus explained excitedly. "I write to them every once in a while and send it that way – it takes longer, but I don't think those letters are being screened. I'm still careful about what I say, though," he added. "You never know, with his foul lot sticking their nose into everything."

"But how do they write back?" Neville asked, leaning forward a bit.

Seamus sighed. "They don't. I was going to try and see them this Christmas, but..." He shrugged. "I figured it was more important to stay here."

Neville looked guiltily down at his comforter, pulling at a loose thread. "You didn't have to," he muttered. "I could have managed."

"Oh, I know," Seamus said confidently. "But someone's got to be here to clean you up once you get your arse kicked."

Neville made a face at him. "Give me a bit of credit," he laughed, "it hasn't come to that yet – this week, at least.

"You know, now that I think of it," Seamus grinned slyly, "maybe I ought to leave that job to Abbott."

Neville blushed furiously. "I – _what_? You – no – it – _what_?"

Seamus laughed. "I saw you two in the courtyard the other day."

"We were just talking," Neville insisted.

Seamus kept on grinning. "All right, _sure_. 'Just talking' – rubbish."

"Don't you starting having a go at me as well!" Neville moaned, falling back on his bed. "Luna and Ginny are bad enough as it is."

Seamus laughed. "Look at you – Mr. Longbottom, the ladies' man."

Neville couldn't help but burst out laughing as he lay on his bed. "That's me, all right – spot on." He was quiet for a moment, then he propped himself up on his elbow and faced Seamus. "Do you really think I'd ever have a chance with her? Hannah, I mean?"

"Definitely," Seamus nodded. "Padma told me the other day that Susan asked Parvati about you."

Neville screws up his face, thinking. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Obviously, isn't it?"

"Not exactly."

Seamus leaned back against his pillows. "Well, Susan and Hannah are best friends. And everyone knows that when the best friend starts asking about a bloke, it's because it'd be too obvious if the girl did it herself. It means the girl fancies yah."

"I thought Ernie was Hannah's best friend?"

"Well, girls usually get other girls to do it, don't they?"

"How should I know? In fact – how do _you_ know?"

"Dean told me. Living with sisters, he'd figured out how girls work. Well, as much as anyone can, I suppose."

"And why were you talking to Padma?"

"Oh, you're missing the point!" Seamus cried. "Hannah fancies you!"

Neville felt himself blush again, but smiled all the same.

"So," Seamus said, leaning forward, "when are you gunna ask her out?"

"Ask her – what? N-never!" Neville spluttered as he spat back up.

"_Never_?" Seamus cried, incredulous.

Neville mumbled something about more important things going on right now.

Seamus shook his head. "You're hopeless."

Neville was about to respond when he felt something warm in his pocket. Seamus seemed to feel it, too, and in a moment they were both digging through their robes, looking for their coins.

Seamus got to his first. He was good and reading the code, seeing as he had helped create it, so as Neville stared at his Gallon, eyes narrowed in concentration, Seamus read the message aloud. "_Everything is okay. I'm fine_."

Neville looked up. "That's it?" he asked hurriedly. "That's all it says?"

"That's it."

"Well, who's it from?" he demanded.

Seamus scrutinized the coin for a moment, but gave up. "I can't tell." He looked up at Neville apologetically. "We wanted to get the coins to you as soon as we could, so we never figured out a way to show which message came from which person. Padma and I were going to do it, but they've been working so well, we kind of... forgot." He hung his head and flipped the still-warm coin over in his hand a few times.

Neville look down at his, too. "What do you think it means?" he asked quietly after a while.

"Something bad," Seamus muttered.

Neville's forehead contracted worriedly. "But it says 'everything's okay' – how can that be bad?"

Seamus looked up at him, an old, almost forgotten darkness back in his eye. "Why would someone send that of something hadn't gone wrong before?"

Neville stood up abruptly and ran to the door.

Seamus followed at his heals. "Where are you going?" he demanded.

"If something bad really has happened to one of us, I need to try and fix it."

Seamus sighed. "So much for not getting your arse kicked this week."

* * *

On the third day, Luna began to lose heart.

She had sent the message to the DA. When she was back in her right frame of mind, it was the first thing she did.

Of course, everything was far for fine, but the last thing she wanted was for her friends to get killed trying to rescue her.

A few days in Askaban was enough for her to realize that this wasn't like breaking into the Ministry had been – anyone trying to get in or out was killed, no questions asked.

Her cell was tiny and cold. She sat as far away from the front of it as she could, but the corners of the cell stank and were greasy and wet – with what, she never wanted to find out.

The cells in Askaban became more and more secure the deeper you went into the prison. Luna had already seen huge wizards, fighting and struggling, being led down there by guards and Dementors. Sometimes there were Goblins. Once there was a House Elf.

If there was a silver lining, it was that she was in the first cell. She was closest to the huge front doors, so, though she never saw any light from it, every once and a while she could breathe in relatively fresh air. Most of the Dementors stayed away from there, focusing their energies on the high security prisoners.

But sometimes they did come.

She could feel one now, slowly making its way up the bleak corridor that all of the cells opened on to. It got colder. She pulled her knees up to her chest and put her head down. Maybe if she could force all her bad thoughts as far back in her mind as possible, the Dementor wouldn't be able to pull them out into the open.

But, of course, that was impossible.

And like every other time the Dementors came, Luna saw her mother cry out and collapse onto the floor.

_"Mama? Mama!"_

Luna squeezed her eyes tight, but nothing would block the memory.

_The spell had scarred her mother's face and arms; her eyes were open._

It was even colder now. Luna shivered, rocking back and forth.

_Her mother's eyes found Luna's. Her lips moved noiselessly and her hand twitched. Luna grabbed it. "It's okay," Luna sobbed helplessly. "Daddy!" she screamed. "Daddy!"_

Find happy thoughts, find happy thoughts, she begged herself. But she couldn't. Sitting curled up in that miserable cell, she wondered whether she had ever had any at all.

_Footsteps overhead._

"_It's going to be okay, Daddy's coming."_

_Her mother clutched Luna's hand. _

"N o," Luna murmured to herself. "No, no." She began to sob. Her breath came out in chokes and coughs as she shivered in the dark, her memory as real as it had been the day her mother died.

_Her mother's eyes her wide and afraid and it sent a cold, horrible shiver down Luna's spine. _

The same shiver ran down her spine now. She knew what happened next. "No, please," she begged.

No one heard her but the monster under the rotting cloak. Its breath rattled, putrid and rank, as it inhaled greedily.

_The faintest flicker of a smile and her mother's eyes unfocused and her hand, held so tightly in Luna's little one, went limp._

_"No! Mama!" little Luna screamed._

"No, Mama!" she screamed now.

Tears she willed not to come streamed down her face. The Dementor was just outside her cell now. She also didn't notice the biting cold that came with it – her mother's blank eyes were imprinted in her mind and she could think of nothing else.

But the memory went on.

_"Luna? Luna, what is it?"_

_When he saw his daughter crouched over his wife, still clutching her cold hand, he knew._

_A cry unlike anything Luna had ever heard, or would ever hear, rent through the air._

Luna's head was empty of everything but dead eyes and a tortured scream and she half wished the Dementor would come closer and take her – because what could be worse than this?

It was then, on the third day, that Luna began to lose heart.

But she did not give up.

She had no wand, but she forced herself to think happy thoughts nonetheless. What were they again? She couldn't remember – her dead mother, her hysterical father, still filled her entire world.

If only she could conjure her Patronus.

But even the word _Patronus_ brought a flicker of hope – why?

Harry had taught her.

In the DA – with Ginny and Neville and Hermione and Ron.

_Friends, friends, friends, friends._

Luna was scared. She was dirty and cold and hungry.

But she had hope. And she was loved.

She was certain that Death Eaters could never understand how important these things were - they were intangable and so they were often overlooked, ignored, and underestimated.

But ignored, overlooked, and underestimated things were often the most powerful.

Luna was proof of that.

* * *

He was playing Gobstones with Parvati and Jimmy Peaks when Ginny finally climbed through the portrait hole. A few Gryffindors greeted her, but she ignored them, making straight for Neville and tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hullo Ginny!" Neville cried, a giant grin on his face. "Have a good holiday?"

"I need to talk to you."

"All right, just one minute," he said, turning back to his game. "I've never been this close to winning before."

"You haven't got a chance, Longbottom," Parvati smirked. "I've got you cornered."

"You _wish_."

"I need to talk to you _now_, Neville," Ginny snapped.

Her pleading but stern voice made him quickly face her again. Her face was unreadable, but there was something in her eyes that scared Neville to the core.

"Let's go to my dorm," he said quietly. He stood up without a word and left Parvati and Jimmy staring after them.

They strode purposefully through the common room, ignoring the other students as they enjoyed their last free hours before classes would resume. Seamus looked up from a book he was reading as the passed. He smiled, but it faded when he saw their grave, determine faces.

"Everything all right?" he asked, already half out of his seat.

"Later," spat Ginny, her eyes still fixed on the staircase that led to the boys' dormitories. Annoyed that people had begun to whisper and stare, she grabbed Neville by the hand and nearly dragged him up the steps.

"What's happened?" he asked worriedly, shutting the door firmly behind them once they were safely in the dorm.

Ginny stood away from him, looking out of the window. "Did you get the message?" she asked.

"Message?" Neville repeated. " Oh – the one that said 'I'm fine'? Yeah, we all got it, but no one could figure out who sent it."

"It was her, then," Ginny said, more to herself than Neville, as if she were finally had a conclusion to a debate she'd been having with herself.

"Who?"

"Luna."

Neville paused for a moment, thinking. "Something happened to her," he said. It wasn't a question, but he waited for Ginny to confirm it nonetheless.

Neville saw Ginny place her hands on the windowsill and lower her head. He knew he should make some effort to comfort her, but worry and fear gnawed away at him and held him back.

"What happened to Luna? Where is she?" he demanded.

He heard Ginny take a shaky breath before saying, "they took her."

"_Took_ her? _Who_ took her? Took her _where_?"

"I don't know," Ginny said in a weak voice.

Neville took a few long strides towards her. "Ginny, tell me what happened," he demanded. His heart hammered wildly in his chest and he could feel the anxiety bubble up inside him like a noxious acid, eating away at him.

Ginny finally turned and faced him. She gave him a look she had never given him before – pain and fear and anger and helplessness – it sent a chill down his spine.

"Is she dead?" he breathed.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. They took her – Death Eaters – they tried to drag her off the train," she inhaled sharply, fighting off sobs. "She wouldn't – they cursed her – Imperious Curse – she... she couldn't fight it – and I... I couldn't... I couldn't..."

Ginny began to cry unlike anyone Neville had ever seen cry before. It wasn't loud and wailing, but a quiet weeping, like someone who had been defeated, someone completely beaten, without any kind of light or hope waiting for them ever again.

She sank onto the nearest bed and Neville sat down beside her, taking her hand.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"I don't know – Dad says Askaban, as likely as not."

Neville shuddered. He didn't want to imagine anyone in there – least of all Luna.

Ginny turned to him; her eyes were red and her cheeks tearstained, but she fought to control herself. "I wanted to tell you," she said slowly, "but Dad said it would cause a panic. He told me not to send you a message."

"Why?" Neville demanded. "We could have looked for her straight away!"

"That's why – he didn't want anyone to do anything rash."

"Rash? They've got her locked up! It's not rash, it's what's _right_!"

Ginny swallowed hard and, taking her hands away from Neville, she rubbed her eyes. "No one gets in or out of Askaban," she said darkly. "Dad said if we're seen, we're _killed_. And we'd put Luna in danger – the greater of a risk she is to their security, the worse state she'll be in – if they let her live at all."

Neville let his head fall into his hands as the weight of what had happened began to fully hit him. "Why?" he croaked. "Why did they take her?"

"Her dad," Ginny answered simply. "The Quibbler."

"She said she was fine," Neville said, to comfort himself as much as to comfort Ginny.

"But why hasn't she said anything _else_?" Ginny asked.

The answer neither of them dared speak hung in the air and weighed down on them, nearly suffocating them – _because she can't send messages if she's dead._

"What do we do now?" Neville choked.

Ginny's voice broke again as she said, "I don't know."

And for a moment, they looked at each other, hopeless, terrified and feeling so, so small and so, so young.

Until their pockets heated.

"Merlin's pants!" Neville cried as they both scrambled for their coins.

"It just says 'courtyard'," Ginny read. She sighed. "It can't be from her."

Neville sat still for a moment, staring at his Galleon without really seeing it, his thoughts far away in a cell in Askban he could only imagine.

"This was Harry's bed, wasn't it?" Ginny asked suddenly.

"What?" Neville asked. "Oh – yeah, it was."

Ginny gripped the comforter tightly, gazing for a moment at the pillows at the head of the bed. The she looked around the rest of the room, standing up and walking to the next bed. "This must have been Ron's," she said quietly, running her hand over the blankets.

Neville nodded.

She looked across the room. "Dean's," she murmured, indicating the bed beside Seamus's. "They look so cold," she muttered.

Neville ran his hands through his hair and walked up beside her. "It's so empty in here now."

She looked over at him, her eyes shining. "They've taken so many people from us. They're taking everyone."

She grabbed Neville's hand and squeezed.

Neville tried to find words to comfort Ginny, but all be managed to say was, "I'm terrified."

"Me, too."

"I thought wars were just fighting and chaos. I didn't realize that so much... that everything..."

"...gets taken from you," Ginny finished. "And you're expected to go on."

Neville looked back down at the coin in his hand. "Let's go," he said, and without another word, they were both off.

When they returned to the common room, most of the members of the DA were already gone. Other students stared at them curiously as they ran by, but left them alone. Ginny heard a tiny third year whisper something to her friend.

"It must be important," the friend whispered back, "_they're_ in the Army."

* * *

By the time Ginny and Neville reached the courtyard, a circle had formed around someone who was speaking. Upon seeing them, the crowd parted to let them through to the front.

Ernie McMillan stood there. He looked absolutely retched, his hair mussed from running his hands over it so many times as he spoke. "Like I said," he was saying, "one of them was a big bloke with dark bags under his eyes, the other was shorter and wider, but had a curler face."

Hannah stood at his side, patting his back comfortingly, staring down at her feet as he spoke.

Ernie stopped short when he saw Neville and Ginny.

"You've told them?" Ginny asked.

Ernie ignored the question. He stepped forward, looking imploringly at Ginny. "I'm so sorry," he said in a rush, "I'm so sorry, Ginny – I had to. I _had_ to! They were going to kill you, they as good as told me and – "

"Wait, _what_?" Neville cried. "What happened?"

Ginny sighed, still looking at Ernie. "He held me back. There was a fight, and the others were still in the compartment, but I ran after Luna. Ernie held me back."

"I'm sorry," Ernie repeated, sounding as pained as Neville had ever heard him sound before. "I saw them Curse you and I thought... I thought they would..." He sighed, shook his head, and started down another path. "I should have fought with you. I'm sorry. With the both of us, maybe we could have..."

Ginny shook her head. "We couldn't have beaten them. They were too strong, they had Luna as a shield, and I didn't even have a wand." She stopped and thought for a while. "I'm sorry I said I hated you," she said calmly, meeting his worried gaze. "I don't hate you. You were trying to help."

But Neville was confused. "But weren't there lots of you on the train?"

Terry stepped forward. "You don't understand, mate, they were animals. Nearly suffocated Demelza, they stunned me... there wasn't much we could do."

The group was quiet for a moment. Lavender and Parvati were holding hands; Ginny had moved over to Ernie and patted his shoulder, though he still looked at war with himself; the Ravenclaws stood grouped together, looking sombre, their heads hung low; Seamus stood near them, his hand near his chest, clutching his rosary and Neville thought wildly of miracles and hope and of Luna holding his hand, telling him there was _always_ hope.

"I suppose we're done, then," came a voice. Everyone looked round to see Zacharias Smith step forward.

"Done?" Ginny repeated, her eyes narrowed at him.

"Yeah. Look, all this Dumbledore's Army stuff isn't working; it's only putting us in danger. Look at Looney Lovegood."

"They didn't take her because she's in the DA," Ginny said angrily.

"Doesn't matter though, does it?" Smith went on. "We're in an army that obviously doesn't work – we haven't managed to get the Carrows out of the school, and we couldn't save Lovegood. Besides, it doesn't make any sense anymore – Dumbledore is dead."

A heavy silence.

"We'll be _Potter's_ Army then," growled Seamus.

"Hear, hear!" cried Ernie.

Suddenly, people started shouting – some cheered, others yelled. It got so bad, Neville was worried they were going to call too much attention to themselves.

"Enough!" he cried. "Shut it, will you?"

Everyone turned to face him and suddenly his cheeks grew warm. He was never good at speaking in front of people, and now dozens of faces looked back at his, waiting for him to say something – _anything_ – that would give them any sort of clue as to how to go on from here.

He mustered his confidence and found Ginny's face in the crowd and spoke as if they were alone again in the dorm.

"It was always Luna," he said gently. "Every time we got in a scrape, she was always the one to get us out. _She_ took the blame for the jinxed door, _she_ gave the Sword back to Snape, and _she_ talked that centaur out of shooting us dead. We never realized it, but it was her every time. How can we do this without her?"

Ginny's brow furrowed. "So you _want_ to disband?" she asked quietly.

"No," he said firmly.

"But they'll just pick us off one by one!" Zacharias interjected.

"Not if we don't give them the chance to," Neville said. "There must have been hundreds of students on that train – maybe Ginny and Ernie alone couldn't have stopped the Death Eaters taking Luna, but _all_ of them could have."

"I don't follow," Michael Corner said, looking confused and somewhat incredulous.

"I was wrong," Neville admitted. "I was wrong to not allow new members into the DA." He turned to Hannah, whose eyes were fixed on him. "You were right all along, Hannah. We need to stand together, it's the only way we've got a chance."

Neville was excited, his mind racing as he looked around at the other children in the army. "They can't pick us off one by one if we're all together – we'll make it a proper, fair fight."

"How?" asked Anthony Goldstein. "No matter what we do, they're stronger and there will always be more of them then there are of us."

"But we want to win more," Neville explained. The students had circled around him and he spun slowly as he spoke, facing everyone, and growing more and more excited. "We want it more – we're not trying to win so we don't get in trouble. You think half of these Death Eaters care what happens to Muggleborns, or who's our Minister for Magic, or even if You-Know-Who gets what he wants? No, they just do as they're told so they aren't punished! They are weak idiots clinging to the side they think will win!"

"So what does that make us?" Parvati asked. "Aren't _we_ the idiots, fighting a losing battle?"

"It's not a losing battle," Neville insisted. "We're holding out for Harry – and who knows what he's doing or how far he's gotten? He could show up tomorrow with the key to winning the whole war!"

"Or he could never show up," muttered Zacharias.

"You gotta have hope," Seamus said suddenly, rounding on Smith, though he didn't look angry. "It's the only way to get through any of this – hope."

Neville beamed at him.

"So, what's the plan?" Ginny asked. "This is all talk – what are we going to _do_?"

"Are we keeping the Army?" asked Padma.

"Yes," Neville said. "And we're opening it up. Anyone who wants to fight can help. Together, we're stronger. Together, we have a shot."

The students began to murmur excitedly. Seamus came over and clasped Neville on the back. Even Ernie was able to smile as some of the Ravenclaws walked over and started brain storming ways to let more students know about the DA without tipping off the Carrows or the Inspectors.

Ginny strode over to Neville, looking determined. "This is all well and good," she said seriously, "but what about Luna?"

"We'll talk to McGonagall," Neville decided. "Maybe she can alert the Order."

"Yeah. We'll need outside help," Ginny mused, nodding to herself. Her eyes lit up suddenly. "The kitchens!" she cried. "Why do I keep forgetting about them? We can ask Dobby for help."

"Dobby?" Seamus repeated. "Isn't he an elf? The one in love the Harry? What can he do?"

"Nothing, if we don't ask him," Ginny replied.

"Good point," Seamus said.

"But how do we get in?" Neville asked. "We got caught last time."

Ginny was quiet for a minute, thinking, as the other students continued to talk excitedly. "Leave it with me," she said after a while. "I'll come up with something."

And with a mischievous glint in her eye, she took off running towards the castle.

"I know it won't change anything," said a quiet voice behind Neville, "but, for what it's worth, I'm very sorry about what happened to Luna."

Neville and Seamus both spun around to see Hannah standing there.

Neville nodded solemnly.

"She's brave, though," Hannah added. "Luna is a fighter. She'll be okay."

"I hope so," Neville breathed.

Seamus punched Neville in the arm. "No time for moping now," he said bracingly. "We've got work to do."

* * *

It was the dead of night. Far off somewhere, an owl hooted.

Neville could hear the few Inspectors left guarding the halls lazily pacing back and forth. They were easily avoided.

As quietly as he could, Neville snuck into the hallway where Dumbledore's old office was. He wondered if Snape was in there now, sitting behind the desk and deciding their fates.

The thought of it angered him – emboldened him.

He stepped into the middle of the dark hall, his wand gripped tightly in his sweaty hand, and faced the empty wall in front of him.

Of course they would know it was him.

He would be punished.

"What are you doing, son?" whispered an old wizard in a portrait behind him.

Neville jumped and spun around to face the painting.

"Get to bed," the old man whispered. "Don't you know what they _do_ to students who break rules these days?"

"Oh, I know," Neville muttered.

He clenched his jaw, faced the wall, and raised him wand.

"_Flagrate_."

Neville moved his wand along the wall, carving fiery words into it as the light reflected in his determined brown eyes.

He finished, stepped back, and admired his work for a moment.

"What on Earth do you mean by _that_?" hissed the old wizard, squinting and adjusting his spectacles to read the message.

Footsteps.

Neville didn't answer the man in the portrait. He ran up the corridor and back to the Gryffindor common room, his heart racing with fear and excitement.

The students would know what it meant. And even if the teachers managed to erase it, the word would spread. The message would get out. A smile tugged at his lips as he ran.

Long after Neville left, the smouldering letters cast a dim light into the hall.

They said:

_DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY, STILL RECRUITING._


End file.
